Burning Rays
by Jay K. Elle
Summary: Anakin and Obi-Wan are sent on a mission to investigate a new Separatist threat on Serias -a lushful planet with ominous secrets. Will they be able to get off the planet safely? Or will they become entangled with the dark affairs slowly eating away at the planet's, and the people's, survival?
1. Chapter 1 In the Beginning

**Hey guys, so thank you for giving this story a chance! I'm new to the whole SW universe -well, not really. I just don't know terminology. BUT, i hope thats ok. Please tell me about any little quirks that you notice, because I usually don't reread these before I post them. If you ever come back and notice a chapter is slightly different, don't worry, because I do that quite often. :) So I think that's it. I hope you enjoy, and thanks again for clicking on my story! -Love from Jay**

**Sigh. I don't own any of this. George Lucas does. I'm just grateful that I can play around with the Star Wars Universe. :D**

**Without further ado, here goes...**

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><p>Everyone knew of the start of the Clone Wars.<p>

Everyone knew of what occurred on the planet of Geonosis, and of the hundreds of _thousands _of clone troopers that arrived to take over for the jedi.

Even in the Outer Rim, they knew the story.

But who would've thought, that just a few months after the war started, the fighting would reach the planet of Serias in the Outer Rim?

Just who?

Jhar Mindoun looked up at the stars with eyes that seemed a thousand years old. His grip on his staff tightened, pulling his tanned and wrinkled skin taught. He sighed -a long drawn out sigh- before lowering his head and turning away from the cosmos.

Just a few kilometers away, Keetho was watching the same exact stars. Except, he wasn't paying attention to the pictures and stories that the stars were illustrating. Instead, he was watching the tiny pinpricks of red and blue lights that were littering the night sky. He knew what those lights were, anyone whose listened to the storyteller talk about the raging war that was happening in the center of the galaxy knew what those lights were; Republican starfighters, sent out to destroy the Separatists that were slowly invading their planet.

Keetho knew that the war was devastating, that right now hundreds of living are being lost, but still, he couldn't help from watching the dazzling light show that was happening before his eyes.

His attention was drawn to one pinprick in particular -a glowing green orb that was slowly growing in size. The twelve year old boy sat up from his position on the roof. Squinting, he watched the light grow larger, and eventually become tainted with red.

It flickered, the green disappearing and the red taking over, before the green re-illuminated just moments later.

Thoughts swirled in the back of Keetho's mind. He new something was wrong. The green light continued to swell, and the young boy was beginning to make out the outline of a Republican ship.

The ship glowed, the outside catching fire as it passed into the atmosphere. Keetho's nerves hit him full shock as he realized what was happening. He scrambled from his spot on the rooftop and quickly descended down the ladder to the awaiting ground. Catching himself, he looked back up at the stars. He watched the hurtling ship as it soared over head, skimmed over treetops, and disappeared out of his line of view.

Keetho sprinted as fast as he could through the surrounding forrest. His thoughts were far away, still fuzzy and in a haze; adrenaline is what pushed him onward, and his curiosity on top of that.

The ground gave an inconceivable shudder as the ship impacted the ground. The sound of metal making contact with dirt reverberated through the woods, bouncing off the tall trees and ringing in Keetho's ears. The smell of smoke and oil quickly followed next, and as the boy breathed it in, he felt it coating his tongue and the back of his throat.

He stopped as he approached the crash site, an area that spanned for nearly sixty meters. The only source of light were the flickering lights and sparks from the ship, along with the flames licking up the left wing. The Republican gunship appeared to still be in one piece though, despite what Keetho had predicted. Smoke billowed from the left wing and the engine, clouding the open space in a grey fog. Keetho moved forward slowly.

His senses finally caught up to him, and now they were invading his brain and taking over every thought: He was _twelve_ for peat's sake. What could he possibly do?

A scream pulled him out of his self doubts. The loud, tortured scream of a young girl.

Keetho ignored the little figure on his shoulder that was shouting for him to abandon this suicide mission, and instead ran towards the smoking and burning ship.

The door that was closest to him was battered, leaving a slight gap between the frame and the actually door. He slid his hand into it, feeling for a lever to open the door further. When he finally made contact with the latch, he pulled, and the rest of metal slid back with a loud screech.

More smoke erupted from the opening, momentarily blinding him. Keetho gave a shuddering cough, then jumped into the crashed ship.

He shouldn't have done it, he just knew it. This plan was foolhardy and stupid, and he should have stayed at home instead of going on this unnecessary suicide mission. Keetho pulled his scarf up around hid nose and mouth, then walked blindly through the main hangar.

"Hello?" He shouted. His voice was shrill and scared, but the young boy continued on. "Is anyone here?"

He stumbled over something: A blaster. It went off, a blue streak shooting into the ceiling of the ship. Another scream was heard, short and startled.

Keetho jumped up, ran past the blaster, past the multitude of back packs, and past the bodies he had to force himself to look away from. He hobbled through another door into the pilot's area. The pilot clone was hanging limp over the controls, his helmet array and his arm bent at an awkward angle. Fire crackled from the control panel, leaping up and swallowing part of the body. Keetho swallowed back bile before looking around the room. He could've sworn he heard the scream from in here.

With a closer look, Keetho realized that a massive figure was sprawled in the passenger seat. He moved closer, blinking away the smoke that hung over his eyelashes and threatened to blind him. The figure moved, pulling a scarred hand to cover his face.

"Colette?" he asked gruffly.

"N-No." Keetho stuttered.

An off noise sounded behind him; a _pop-hiss_ that couldn't have come from any of the ship's machines. He turned, hands flying up in defense as the green blade of a lightsaber flashed down at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" He shouted, head turned with arms in front of him. He waited, and when the hot blade never came, he risked a glance.

"Who are you?" asked the figure. Keetho's attention was caught, and he dropped his arms slightly at the feminine voice.

"I'm Keetho." He said, scarf muffling his voice. As his hands lowered even more, he realized that the figure was a girl, possibly no older than him. He tried to lick his lips, cracked and dried from the smoke and fire, before speaking again. "Who are you?"

The girl didn't reply, but the bright blade disappeared in a hiss, and the she pushed past him to the man in the chair.

"You can't stay here." Keetho said, suddenly rising up to his full height as he remembered why he was there in the first place. "This thing's gonna blow."

"I'm not leaving him." She snapped back in a tone that was just as dignified.

Keetho pushed away the sudden thoughts about how girls could be so difficult, and instead nodded, taking one of the man's arms. If he was going to help her, he'd have to help him.

"Can you get that door open?" Keetho asked, nodding his head at the barred exit.

The girl followed his gaze over her shoulder and gave a curt nod.

Her lightsaber ignited again, and with a quick thrust it was through the thick metal wall, red-hot metal dripping down from the cut she was creating. She traced along the doorframe, using all her weight to get the laser sword to move. Waving her hand in front of her, the metal cutout fell to the ground with a crash, leaving a gaping, black hole in it's wake.

The girl ran back to Keetho's side and helped move the man out of the wreckage, which took all their strength on both parts. They slumped just a few feet into safety, gasping for gulps of clean air. Keetho pulled the scarf down from his face and took deep breaths as he tried to clear out his lungs. The girl quickly kneeled down at the man's side.

"Master." She whispered. Keetho could trace just a hint of a whimper, something unfit for someone of a jedi status. "You're going to be ok." She continued. "We're going to find help."

The man's hand moved so he could stroke a tear stained cheek with the back of his palm.

"Colette," he mumbled. A smile played at the corners of his mouth, but his strength faded before he could smile fully, and it turned into a pained grimace.

Colette held her hand over the bleeding wound on the man's chest. Keetho's eyes followed her hand to the abrasion, taking in what he didn't see earlier. He felt his stomach flip over. He was gone in an instant, vomiting his dinner into the leaves behind a tree.

If they were in another situation, Colette would have rolled her eyes at the petty boy's reaction. But she wasn't. She was with her dying master.

"Be strong, youngling." He said.

Colette's hand flitted over the Jedi Knight's brown-black hair, pushing it back off his sweaty forehead.

Dark green eyes momentarily closed.

"It's too late, youngling." He said. His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. He gulped, another pained expression passing over his face. His hands clenched underneath his dark brown robes.

"No, no it's not." Colette said.

The man attempted another smile, but his eyes were dim. "Take this."

The scarred hand moved over to his utility belt, and he detached his lightsabor and stuffed it into the girl's hands. She looked down at it, shaking her head and pushing it back.

"No, no, Master…"

From behind the tree, Keetho placed one hand on the bark to keep his balance, the other over his stomach. His eyes were squeezed tight, and he was barely registering what was happening between the two survivors. What did catch his attention, though, was a low, almost inaudible humming. Keetho looked up from his spot where he was bent over. It sounded like a speeder.

Separatists.

"We need to go." He said quickly, his voice raspy. He tried again. "We need to go." He said louder, glancing over at the pair.

Colette glared up at him from her place next to the man. He brown eyes flashed angrily, and Keetho winced, his eyes drifting over to scan the surrounding woods.

"Go." The man said, drawing Colette's attention back to him. "Be strong, youngling." he repeated. "Don't forget who you are."

Colette shook her head no again.

"Go." Her master said more urgently.

The girl hesitated for a moment. Nodding slowly, she jumped up and attached the lightsabor to her belt next to her own. She looked around, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Those were speeders. Speeders meant help.

When the girl didn't move right away, Keetho ran over to her side and grabbed her hand. She protested, pulling away.

"They can help!" She shouted.

"No... no." Keetho replied. His voice was thick. "They can't. They're Separatists."

He pulled her into the woods, despite more protests, away from the crash site, and ducked behind some of the foliage. Colette dropped to her knees beside him, her mouth a thin line as her eyes narrowed at what was happening before them.

Four Speeders had appeared just after they'd found cover. Each of them were carrying two droids on their backs, and their headlights were illuminating the crash site. The droids climbed off, readying the blasters in their hands in the process. They formed a semicircle around the dying man, but made no move to shoot.

Then a fifth Speeder appeared.

The man on that speeder looked to be in his mid-forties. His hair was graying, but flecks of blonde still showed through along his short beard and by his temples. A scar ran its way from his left cheek down to his jaw, and slightly further down his neck until it was hidden by the collar of his dark blue tunic. He smiled, a cruel, bloodcurdling sneer, and strode up to the side of the fallen Jedi.

"I thought you'd never show, Kib." He said. He prodded the jedi in the side with the toe of his boot. The man grunted, his hands flailing to his abdomen.

"It's a pity you're in this condition. I would've liked to kill you from the start, instead of picking up from when you're already half-dead." The smile disappeared, now replaced with a look of contemplation. "Oh well, I guess I should be grateful for what I got." He shrugged, then grabbed a blaster from one of the droids.

Colette looked away at the last minute, averting her eyes and leaning into the boy's shoulder next to her. He turned away too, and tried to block out the noise of the blaster being fired.

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><p><strong>I hope that was an ok start. :) <strong>


	2. Chapter 2 The Mission

**So I've re-updated this part. I felt it wasn't long enough and kind of abrupt. I added more on Obi-wan, and fixed some of the parts that made absolutely no sense to me. :) I hope this is somewhat better than what I had before. Leave your replies! -Love from Jay.**

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><p>– 3 years later –<p>

Anakin Skywalker stared down at the datapad and frowned. Why did _he_ have to do this? This wasn't his kind of mission. If the young Jedi didn't know any better, he would think that Obi-wan was holding out on all the exciting missions. But, that just wasn't Obi-wan; he would prefer the diplomatic missions over the combative missions any day.

Anakin tossed the datapad onto the holoprojecter and sighed. It blinked light blue, casting a pale shadow across the projector and illuminating the dark room briefly. Looking at his padawan seated next to him, he noticed that the young Togruta was also ignoring the datapad in her lap. Instead, she was leaning forward with her hands propping her up on either side of her legs. Her eyes seemed distant, and she was staring at the large expanse of the hull through the thick, wide window.

"Are you sure I can't come along?" Ahsoka Tano asked when she realized her master was staring at her. She didn't turn to look at him, but Anakin noticed her eyes refocused when she spoke. She was patiently waiting for an answer, but he had a feeling she already knew.

"Sorry, Snips, but you'll have to sit this one out."

Ahsoka rolled her bright blue eyes, not even attempting to hide the agitation. "But, come on Master, I could be of use. Besides, you'll probably need me to save your butt again." Ahsoka gave a wry smile and turned her head to glance at him.

Anakin cocked an eyebrow. "Nooo." He said exasperatedly. "It'll be boring, not much will be going on. It's just a diplomatic check-up from what I've heard."

Ahsoka was about to say something more, but the doors to the bridge slid open, and she shut her mouth instead when it revealed a deep-in-thought Obi-wan. The Jedi Master had his hands clenched behind his back, a normal custom when he was pacing in thought. Glancing at the two Jedi when he felt their scrutinizing gazes, he lifted his hand in greeting, his train of thought disappearing.

"Anakin." He acknowledged."Ahsoka."

The younger man couldn't help the complains rising in his mind. Diplomacy? _Seriously_? Maybe Obi-wan _was_ holding out on the good missions.

Sensing the disturbance in the force around his friend, Obi-wan said, "Just be happy you _have_ a mission, Anakin."

"But I'm not the diplomatic type." Anakin reasoned quickly. He heard Ahsoka snort from next to him, and when he turned to her with a glare, she quickly looked away, hiding a smile that was forming on her lips.

The corners of Obi-wan's lips turned upward. He found it extremely funny at how his former padawan was handling his new apprentice. There was so much in Ahsoka that reminded him of Anakin, that it sometimes had him reminiscing in the past. The jedi pushed the memories away, and instead said. "Well, if you read over the details on the datapad, you wouldn't think it so boring."

Anakin gave him a quizzical look, and with a sigh, Obi-wan stepped forward, picking up the abandoned datapad sitting on the holoprojector.

"Did you even read this?" He asked absentmindedly. He detached the stylus and scrolled through the machine's contents.

"I… skimmed." Ahsoka gave another chuckle at his words, and Anakin had to refrain from snapping back.

Ignoring the bickering pair, Obi-wan continued without looking at them. "Three years ago the Jedi by the name of Kib Rowane was sent out to Serias to check out a growing threat of the Separatists. He took his padawan with him, a young girl named Colette Liahthon. They both went missing."

"Missing?" Asked Ahsoka, standing up.

Obi-wan rolled his eyes. Did either of them read the information that he had gone through all the trouble to find and organize?

"Yes, missing." he said. "One of the clone troopers said that he saw their ship get hit, and they lost control and crashed. No one's ever heard of them since."

"So they're dead?"

"No, Anakin, they might not be _dead_."

"Ok, so you want us to go and find out what happened?" Anakin's blue eyes narrowed. This was sounding more and more like a clone's mission.

"Actually, no. The separatists population has been growing on this planet. The Council wants us to check the place out-"

"-And take out the leader." Anakin finished. He smiled slightly, his left hand fingering the lightsaber at his side. He could imagine himself catching Dooku at this very moment.

Obi-wan seemed to pick up on his thoughts because he quickly said, "Dooku's not on the planet. The Council seem to think it's another source, and anyways we're _just_ to and evaluate the threat. We don't want to go looking for trouble."

"We don't need to," quipped Ahsoka, "trouble usually finds us."

"We meaning Obi-wan and I." Anikan reminded. "You're staying here."

Ahsoka let out an angered sigh and turned away from them. Leaning on the holoprojector, she turned her attention to look out over _The Resolute's_ hull. Anakin turned to Obi-wan, who just smilled back at him with a let-her-be expression on his face.

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><p>"Master, are you sure you don't need me on this mission?" Ahsoka caught up with Obi-wan and fell into step beside him, her stride matching his. He casted her a side-long glance and smiled.<p>

"No, Ahsoka, I think we'll be alright." They were heading towards the main hangar bay, where Anakin had gone ten minutes ago to ready his starfighter. With him gone, Ahsoka had headed straight to find the other jedi, who had left a few minutes before him.

"But, then, why did you give me the datapad?"

Obi-wan smiled again. "Because, youngling, I need someone to know what we're doing on the planet."

"-but the Jedi Council-"

"-knows only a little about the mission. They warned me about the threat, and that was it. I gathered the rest of the information myself. They didn't do a deep investigation on the matter, so they don't really know any of what's on the datapad-"

"Of which there wasn't much-"

"I know." Obi-wan held up a hand for her to stop. "We aren't sure what we're up against." He confirmed. "But, you're the back-up, Ahsoka. Even though Anakin won't admit it, he may need you to bust him out of somewhere."

"And you...?" She ventured.

"Me too." He chuckled. "We may just need your help, but you wouldn't be able to do that if your stuck with us."

Ahsoka fell quiet for a minute, her gaze drifting to the durasteel corridor they were walking down. She finally looked back at him, more questions forming in her head.

"So your blindly landing on some unknown planet? With Separatist threats?" She asked.

"More or less."

Ahsoka's eyes narrowed. That didn't seem like him at all. This was Obi-wan Kenobi, for peats sake. He always thought things through. He always had a plan. Something was going on in that big ol' head of his...

"Did you know Master Rowane?" She asked, remembering the datapad and information he had told them.

"What?" Obi-wan's surprised look caught her off guard, and she choked back the laugh at the funny expression that almost escaped her lips. Focusing on the floor panels as her blush subsided, she cleared her throat before trying again.

"You knew him, didn't you." She stated openly as she regained her composure. It was said more as an observation than a question.

Nodding, Obi-wan couldn't help but notice just _how much _she was like Anakin. Honestly, she could be a carbon copy in some aspects.

"We trained together as padawans." He said solemnly. "He was a friend before we started to grow apart. That was years ago, when I was still a youngling. This mission does have some personal facets."

"I knew it." Ahsoka said smugly.

Yep, _exactly_ like Anakin.

"It's none of the Council's concerns, but I personally accepted the mission." He continued, ignoring her last comment. "I've been nudging this in their direction for a couple of years now." Obi-wan sighed. "It wasn't until now did they finally accept the fact that the Separatists _may_ have infiltrated the influence in the Outer Rim."

Ahsoka nodded. They were at the door to the main hangar bay. She turned to face him, and he paused before he pressed the button for the doors to slide open.

"Good luck, Master." She said. "I'll be here in case you guys _do_ need my help." Supplying a shy smile and a quick, shallow bow, she turned away and sprinted off back towards the bridge.

Oh, she was _totally_ like Anakin.

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><p><strong>Better, I hope :) Leave you REPLIES! 3 They make me feel all gooey and love-y inside XD<strong>


	3. Chapter 3 Just Like Slingshots

**Hiya! So I also updated this chappie. I just put in a little more and reworded some of the stuff. Thank you guys if you made it this far! :)**

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><p>Something was wrong. And it had gone so wrong so quickly.<p>

Anakin checked over his array of switches one more time. Everything seemed to be in order, but it just… wasn't. He didn't have R2 with him this time to check over his shoulder, so he just had to make do with what he had.

The young jedi heard the comlink crackle with static.

"Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan can you hear me?" Pressing a finger to the headset, he waited anxiously for a reply.

The moments slowly ticked by, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the joystick. He could sense his master out there somewhere, but he just couldn't _see _him. He once more looked out the window, his blue eyes scanning over the void of space.

At last, the man's faint voice passed through the speaker.

"Anakin, are you alright?"

Anakin let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. He could hear the worry laced deeply in the older Jedi's voice as he spoke, even though he tried to mask it. Behind his voice, he could hear the beeping and ticking as the man mirrored Anakin's fingers dancing over the consul's controls.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I'm no longer sure about this, master…"

Obi-Wan's voice responded with just as much hesitation. Anakin could sense something in the force… a slight disturbance that was just a pinprick, but all the same bothersome. He looked over at Obi-Wan, who was able to level his starfighter with his. He was staring at all the controls that littered the dashboard.

"I know, I can feel it too…" The older Jedi's voice was replaced with more static, and Obi-wan glanced out his cockpit to look at Anakin. They made brief eye contact before Anakin broke away at the sudden screeching at one of his readers.

"Anakin...?"

"It's ok." He reassured him. "That's normal."

"Normal?"

"It's nothing master, just relax." Anakin immediately flicked more switches, and the screeching stopped.

But the sudden quietness made the atmosphere uneasy. He urged himself to stare forward at the growing planet and compose his feelings. He was a jedi, for goodness sake! He had everything under control.

Letting the hum of the starfighter's engine overtake him, he sensed all the gears and axles, turning and spinning in sync with the engine. Well, at least nothing was wrong with the starfighter.

His blue eyes scanned over the dashboard. The planet Serias was closely approaching, a bright green planet with only flickers of blue here and there. On the beeping radar, he noticed that smaller dots were organized in a circle about the planet. Anakin looked back up and squinted -a splash of brown and sliver caught his attention; he realized that multiple satellites were in orbit.

"Anakin, you don't think those satellites are interfering with our ships, do you?" Obi-Wan's questioning voice pulled the younger man out of his thoughts.

"I don't know." He replied softly. He glanced back at the radar. Just a couple of satellites. Sure they were probably interfering with the radio's signal, but they couldn't do anything harmful.

Speeding up, the two starfighters moved closer and closer to the planet. Anakin could make out the clouds in the atmosphere, and the blue became more prominent as he made out the outlines of rivers. He leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the planet, when his starfighter gave a sudden lurch.

His head pounded against the backrest, and he heard his companion give an audible _oof_ over the comlink as his ship made a similar stumble.

"What was-"

Another tug, and the starfighters' velocity increased. Anakin hit the brakes, trying to slow down.

The two mechanic beasts, crimson and golden, were pulled as the gravitational pull took hold of them, bearing their pilots with them. Anakin did his best to try and resist the pull that was far too strong to be from the planet alone. The starfighter wouldn't turn, and his pushing and pulling on the throttle only resulted in turning the ship to an awkward, almost upside-down angle.

"Anakin, what are you doing?" Obi-Wan asked skeptically. Anakin craned his neck to see his former master staring back at him from behind his cockpit's window. Despite the danger, he had humor written all over his face.

"Well, I'm not just going to sit here." He snapped, turning slightly red. He flicked a couple of switches, then frowned as the numbers on some of his readers spiked, then dropped drastically.

"I'm losing power!" He shouted, possibly a little too loudly for the older man.

"I _know,_ Anakin; So am I." His master said through clenched teeth.

Serias was rapidly growing in size before them. The satellites were becoming more and more clearer, their wings and controls standing out against the planet's outer atmosphere. Even upside down and turned away from them, Anakin could make out the silvery glow they radiated.

Regaining his coolness, and having nothing better to do, Anakin absently hit buttons and flipped switches, hoping, just _hoping_ that something would help him. Maybe even turn his starfighter right-side-up.

"What is that?"

Turning quickly, Anakin hit his head against the back rest again. As he blinked the slight pain away, he was able to make out the two lights that suddenly shot out from the nearest satellites. The starfighters were caught in the blue beams, which abruptly slowed down their velocity. Anakin heard Obi-Wan say something through the microphone, but his voice was cut over with static before it completely went silent. The light's flickered off and the engine stopped.

"No, no, no, no." The jedi murmured. He tried the ignition multiple times, then resorted to using the force, feeling his way into the machine's engine and trying to hotwire it. When nothing happened, he slumped back, a scowl crossing over his face.

The beam from the satellite acted as a sling shot. The starfighters had slowed down, and Anakin found that his ship was now speeding back up. Blue eyes scanned his surroundings as he tried to find his former master's starfighter, but he was once again no where in sight.

He stomped out the panic starting to rise. So he was only just going to burn through the atmosphere and crash to his death. That wasn't too bad.

_Just like the other jedi. _

His mind was wandering back to what Obi-Wan had said earlier. Maybe this is what happened to the padawan and master, he thought. But another thought invaded his mind; No it couldn't have happened like this, that was three years ago, and the separatists couldn't have had this technology then.

Anakin Skywalker braced himself as he entered the lush planet's atmosphere. Tendrils of fire leapt across the ship's wings as he sped through the air at an impossibly fast speed. Instincts took over, and the man was suddenly a boy again, maneuvering a pod racer through a canyon on Tatooine. He pulled up on the throttle, but when that didn't work, he held out his hands and closed his eyes, taking in a deep, composed breath. Using the force and his starfighter's speed, he was able to gently turn the ship back to it's correct posture. He needed to glide, so he gently lifted the nose of the ship upward. It slowed as it became parallel with the ground. Trees came threateningly close, and soon the starfighter was skimming the treetops, leaving leaves and broken branches in its wake.

The young man saw an opening for landing and went for it. Since the power was still down, he had to use all his might with the force to slow down his landing. He aimed at a clearing about half a mile in front of him, but his ship was still going so fast he thought he might miss it.

But thankfully, he didn't.

The ship sped forward, and when it came into contact with the ground, dirt and rocks spewed up behind him and gathered in the rut the powerless machine was creating. Glass spiderwebbed as branched slammed into the cockpit's window.

Anakin's hand slammed down on an emergency eject button. The cockpit opened, and the jedi leapt out, flipping neatly in the air and landing nimbly on his feet. The starfighter skidded about another ten feet, and stopped only when it hit a tree. Black smoke billowed into the sky, and the air was tainted with the smell of burning metal and sparking electricity. He tossed his headset to the ground, now completely useless without his ships radio. Scowling at the demolished ship, he abruptly turned away, following the skid marks back to the beginning of the impact sight.

The clearing was large, and up in the sky, Anakin could make out the beams of blue light that were quickly dissipating. The satellites blinked silver, almost in a mocking gesture, before they winked out of existence, leaving the bright blue, cloudy sky all that Anakin could see.

Anakin tilted his wrist back and forth, then pressed the button on his comlink. "Obi-wan? Obi-wan do you read me? Are you there Obi-wan?"

No answer.

The jedi automatically discarded the idea that he could be dead. He would've felt it in the force if he was. He was somewhere, just not here.

He left the clearing to get under the coverage of the trees. Looking back, he watched the column of black smoke rise into the air. Well, if the Seppers didn't know he was here, they did now.

It would be best to be as far away from here as possible, he thought. No need to hang around. Turning his back on the destroyed starfighter, he started off into the forest.

Trees loomed high above him, and the canvas of the trees casted shadows specked with glimpses of light. The planet was beautiful, definitely more fruitful than some planets, like Tatooine and Coruscant, and possibly even more beautiful than Naboo. But the planet held a aura of uncertainty around it. As every minute passed by, Anakin hated Serias more and more. He had to find to Obi-Wan. He had to find his former master before something confirmed his fears about the planet.

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><p><strong>Hmm, ok? :) Thanks for reading! Replies are greatly accepted. XD -Love from Jay<strong>


	4. Chapter 4 Friends

**I updated this as well. :) Hope it's somewhat better. It's kinda late, but I think it flows a little better. Leave your replies! -Love from Jay. 3**

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><p>"The Carts came through today."<p>

"I thought they were leaving."

"So did I…"

Whispers died down as Colette approached the diner's tables, then resumed as soon as her back was turned. Even though Reiner's Inn attracted most out of towners, the small hostelry still brought in a steady flow of regular customers to the diner in the front. Some people were beings that she saw every day, such as the group of gossipy women sitting at the end of the bar.

Colette picked up a couple of mugs and took them over to the washer behind the bar's counter. Her black hair was puled back into a thick braid, and several wisps fell around her face. She wiped her hands on her apron and stared down at the glasses, not in the least paying attention to the task she should be doing, but instead listening the incessant conversation going on at the end of the counter.

"The Separatists are getting even stricter." Said one woman, a lady with dark hair pulled up into a ponytail. She had her back to Colette, an empty plate pushed away from her and a backpack sitting at the stools feet.

The other, a woman with tanned skin and jet black hair replied, "They took control of the slavers, right?" Her dark brown eyes flicked pointedly to Colette over her shoulder, and the girl had to resist the urge to lash out at them. She kept her mouth shut tight, and began picking up the glasses, her movements slow.

"Yes." The the first woman's gaze shot over her shoulder to where a group of Separatists drones stood at the doorway. She readjusted her position -crossing her legs over one another- and dropped her voice even more. "People need to be more careful," She whispered, so low that Colette barely even heard her. "One slip up, and even you might be in the Carts."

Colette turned away just as the second woman shook her head. She finished washing the glasses, then placed them on a towel next to the washer. It did her no good to listen to the gossip of the town, it just depressed her. It reminded her of reality, of where she was right now.

Across the room, an older girl -maybe of seventeen- made eye contact with her. She gave Colette a small smile, and and the younger girl disappeared into the back rooms, untying her apron in the process. She passed down a hallway lined with the inn's bedroom doors, then walked to the very last one and dropped her apron onto a hook next to it. Pushing the door open, sunlight flooded into the dark hallway, illuminating the adobe walls.

Like everyday at precisely 1:15, Keetho was waiting for her right outside.

The fifteen year old smiled at her, and pushed back his obnoxious black bangs. Colette smiled in return; this was the only part of the day she looked forward to.

"So, how ya doin'?" He said in an almost sing-song voice. He straightened from leaning against the inn and fell into step beside her.

Colette's smile grew wider, and all thoughts about the gossipy denizens and slavers left her mind. "Ok." She said. "You?"

"I'm fine, but guess who isn't?"

Colette laughed at the goofy grin he had plastered on his face. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. She shrugged, not wanting to prolong his wait.

"So that little prank we pulled on Bodi? It worked." Keetho flashed a toothy grin.

"I told you it would." She replied. "How did he react?"

Keetho gazed over to across the town, where houses and barns and shops lined the dirt road. Bodi, the seventeen year old bully of the town, lived in that direction.

"He hasn't come out of his house since." He said happily. "I guess that dye we used was a little more permanent then we thought."

Colette laughed. "Really?"

"It turned his whole face purple!"

The girl's smile dimmed. "I wish I could've been there." She said sadly.

"Yeah, me too." He said. "But hey, I found a clearing out in the woods not too far away. You wanna go out there for a bit?"

Colette nodded. "Just remember, I need to be back by 1:30."

"I know, I know..." He said exasperatedly, grabbing her arm and pulling her forward. "I only have you for 15 minutes -what else is new?"

It turned out the clearing _wasn't_ too far away. It consisted of deadened grass, a small circle of stones, and knocked over trees. Despite the dark memories that threatened to spill, Colette swallowed and breathed deeply. Keetho picked up a long stick, examining the sharpened end before stabbing it into the ground and leaning on it. Colette moved over to the circle of stones and bent down. She poked at the ashy and charcoaled wood.

"Slaver's camp." She said quietly. "Abandoned for a couple of days."

Watching from his spot behind her, Keetho silently glanced around at the knocked over trees. He pulled the stick out of the ground and walked over to the closest one, bending down to run his hands over the gashes carved deeply into the wood.

He swallowed thickly. "They're not going to come back, are they?" He asked.

Colette shook her head and straightened. "They shouldn't."

"Shouldn't?"

"Trust me Keetho, they won't." Colette reassured.

He nodded, then sat down by the log, resting the stick over his lap. He waited a moment, staring at his outstretched legs in front of him as Colette moved to sit next to him, then he sighed. "So how are things going at the inn?" He asked quietly.

"The same as yesterday." She replied. "Slow. Boring. Nothing interesting."

"I'm sorry about that." He murmured.

Colette's dark eyes scanned over the sympathy in his face. What was he to be sorry about?

"It's not your fault." She said, her eyes drifting down to watch her fingers twist in gestures and symbols, something she did when she was bored. "You weren't there when I was caught. You have nothing to do with it."

"Your my friend." Keetho implied. "And I should've been there."

"You couldn't have done anything." Colette said. "Besides, you would've been caught too."

Keetho smirked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." She said simply.

Keetho's hand shot out, and Colette's quick reflexes instantly kicked in. She grabbed his hand and twisted, his arm suddenly bending at an awkward angle. Keetho let out a strangled squawk and Colette let go, grinning. "Your form's off."

"But, I meant to do that." He argued.

Shaking her head and smiling, she stood up, then helped Keetho up when she offered a hand. Keetho moved to stand in the middle of the abandoned camp, both arms gripping the stick, as he settled into a comfortable stance.

"Widen you stance, doofus." Colette snickered. She kicked the inside of his shoe with the side of her boot. "And use the stick for balance." Backing up, she smiled at her work, cocking her head to the side. "And for peat's sake get a haircut."

Even as she was chastising him, Keetho was shaking his head, trying to move his black hair out of his eyes. Deeming her friend incorrigible, Colette slid her feet apart and brought both her hands up in front of her. "Ok, come at me." She challenged.

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><p><strong>So a little humor added ;) I hope you guys enjoyed it! Again, leave your replies! XD<strong>


	5. Chapter 5 Lost and Wandering

**Re-edited! Let's face it, I'm just gonna re-edit everything... Oh well, I hope you enjoy this! Thanks for the replies! :) -Love from Jay.**

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><p>Obi-Wan coughed into his arm and stumbled through the black smoke his starfighter was now reduced to. He let the force guide him through the rubble, past a cluster of trees, and into safety. Placing his hands on his knees, he stood bent over, breathing deeply to clear his lungs.<p>

"Well, I'm not getting back that way." He finally muttered to himself. He brushed off his robes, but only succeeded in smearing the soot. He flexed his shoulders and stretched, looking around in the meanwhile and taking in his lush surroundings. Trees towered over him, blocking out most of the sunlight. Unseen birds chirped in the distance, but other than that, the forest was dead quiet. Obi-Wan suddenly missed having the talkative Anakin with him.

Anakin. Where had his ship landed?

He spun a half circle, partly expecting his former padawan to show up behind him. But nothing was there, only trees and rocks in the distance. Squinting, the jedi took another look at the rocks. No, not rocks, _buildings. _

A town.

The jedi master ignored the ruined starfighter behind him, it was completely useless to him now. He'd have to find Anakin first, and hopefully, just_ hopefully,_ he would be heading in the same direction as him.

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><p>But of course Anakin Skywalker wasn't heading in the same direction as him. As a matter of fact, he was heading in the exact <em>opposite.<em>

It was something about this general direction that didn't feel right. Something was off, something that he honestly didn't like. So naturally, Anakin just had to go and investigate.

For a while he's been following a dirt road. The road was leaf strewn, with muddy patches and two deep ditches from carts' wheels. This road had to lead somewhere, and hopefully, to someone. A rustling noise made the young man stop in his tracks, and he waited, his head cocked to the side as he listened.

Up ahead, a cart was heading in his direction.

He moved to the side, watching as a cart with a thick blanket thrown over the back approached closer. Two animals he couldn't identify pulled the cart, and two men sat atop the seat.

Anakin moved farther away from them. Luckily, neither of them had seen him, so he ducked behind some bushes on the side of the road.

"We'll make good money this time." said one man as the cart rattled even closer. He was close shaven, with long brown hair that fell into his eyes. His shirt was sleeveless, revealing his muscled arms. He fingered a hemp bag sitting in his lap. "Coran will be happy with this lot."

"I hope." replied the other. He looked similar to the latter, except with shoulder length black hair and a month old beard. He had pale blue eyes that hungrily searched the woods every few seconds. He shook the reins on the animals, urging them to keep the pace they were at. He said something more to his companion, but his voice was too low for the jedi to hear.

Drawing his eyes away from the two men, Anakin's attention was pulled over to the back of the cart. Watching it as the cart passed his hiding place, he noticed that the blanket shook and swung with each bump. It was swung carelessly over the seven foot square block, and what he sensed inside made his stomach flip over. He didn't want to confirm his feelings, but his arm seemed to act on its own accord. His hand waved out in front of him, and the blanket was pulled off and thrown to the ground.

About eight prisoners cringed at the sudden sunlight breaching the cage. They were thin, with ratted clothes hanging off their limbs. Spindly hands wrapped around their bodies as they tried to preserve their body heat against the fall breezes that flowed through the forest every few minutes.

One man shouted out, drawing the attention of the driver -the black haired one- away from his conversation. He looked back, and when he saw that the blanket was no longer covering the cart, he pulled the cart to a stop.

Anakin watched as he jumped down and walked around the cart. Some of the prisoners even scuttled away from him when he walked by. He bent down and picked up the blanket, but he never had a chance to throw it back over the cage.

Anakin Skywalker was there in a heartbeat, his lightsaber ignited, the blue blade hovering next to the man's throat.

"Back away." He growled.

The driver turned around slowly, his eyes wide as he took in his situation. He whistled, and the other man turned around to see what was going on. A frown crossed over his face, then it was quickly replaced with a smirk. He jumped off, his hands dancing across the trigger of a concealed blaster.

Anakin easily deflected the blue bolt that came in his direction. With another slash, the cart driver's companion found his blaster melting in his hands. He dropped it, jumping away from the hot metal.

The Jedi Knight shut off his lightsaber, and spun around, catching the black haired man off guard. The hilt made contact with his head, and with a loud crack, he fell to the ground, unconscious. Anakin then swung his leg out, and the other man found himself being knocked to the ground. He hit his head on one of the wheels of the cart, and he too, fell unconscious.

One woman pressed herself up against the bars, examining the bodies at Anakin's feet.

"A-Are they dead?" She stuttered. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she licked her cracked lips, trying to get some kind of moisture on them.

"No." Anakin replied. He was surprised at how calm his voice was, despite the memories that were threatening to resurface in his mind.

He reignited his lightsaber and easily cut the lock holding the two doors closed. The prisoners flooded out, most not even talking or thanking the jedi. The woman however, moved aside and waited for the others to pass.

"Thank you." She said for the millionth time. "I don't know what I can do in return."

Anakin lightly placed his hand on her arm and she jumped slightly, eyeing his gloved hand warily. "Can you just tell me where the closest town is?" He asked.

She nodded and pointed in the direction the cart was coming from. "That way, maybe seven or eight miles."

"Thanks."

The woman nodded again, then turned in the other direction and walked with a man who had waited for her. Anakin watched them for a minute, then decided with a sigh, to follow the woman's directions and hopefully find the town.

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><p><strong>So not much changed, but I did change some grammatical things :) Hope it sounded a little better. As usual, leave your replies! They're greatly appreciated. :D (And they make my day)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6 The Dark Has Come to Haunt

**So hey guys! Thank you SO much if you've stuck with me this far. As a reward, here's another (updated) chapter. :) It gets a bit more interesting, with just a dash of cuteness. :) -Love from Jay.**

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><p>Colette landed a punch on Keetho's side, and he yelped, dropping the stick as his hand flew to his abdomen. Colette picked up the stick and swung it testily.<p>

"Ohhhkay, Colette. Watch where you're pointing that thing." The girl swung the stick again, smiling wickedly as she advanced. Keetho backed up, hands held up in defense.

Jabbing it in his direction, he stumbled over some rocks, falling onto his butt. He crab-walked even further away from her until his back was against a tree.

Colette jabbed the stick into the ground and put a hand on her waist. "Oh, will you relax? I'm not gonna hurt you."

Keetho faked a smile, saying, "Yeah, yeah, I knew that. I was just playing the part."

"Of what?" She asked, smirking. "The hopeless boy who can't stand his ground against a girl?"

"Aw, come on Colette, I wasn't all that bad." Keetho whined, shooting his friend a pleading look. "Was I?"

Colette snorted. "Can I not answer that question?" she asked.

Keetho's face fell with exaggerated anguish, and, in turn, Colette snorted again and rolled her eyes.

This was how most of Colette's breaks usually ended up: both of them actually enjoying themselves, actually acting like the teens they were. Despite Colette's unfortunate predicament at the inn, she was able to have some kind of fun when she was with Keetho.

The fifteen year old boy smiled and opened his mouth to whine some more, but Colette held her hand up, cutting him off. She tilted her head to the side, her mouth a thin line and her dark eyes narrowed in concentration.

"What is it?" Keetho asked, dropping his voice at the change of atmosphere.

"I don't know." Colette replied. " Something's not right."

Keetho tensed, and his eyes scanned over the surrounding trees. "What do you mean?" He asked quietly.

Colette shook her head and closed her eyes. "I don't know." She whispered back. "But be quiet and let me think."

Keetho clamped his mouth shut, knowing better than to bother the girl when her weird jedi-instincts kicked in. Instead, he kept his green eyes glued to the forest as he waited for any kind of motion.

There _was_ something out there, Colette affirmed. But whether it was friend or foe she had no idea. What she sensed was completely bewildering: anger and complete outrage where there shouldn't be. The force was dark and strained, twisting as it tried to remain in control. But the force couldn't do that; It was neutral. _Someone_ had to be doing it. _Someone_ was manipulating the force, very slowly releasing anger into its astral being.

Her thoughts were brought back to three years previously, when she felt something similar happening. But that person's aura that was stronger, more together. This one just seemed… shattered.

"Colette?"

Keetho's voice was rasped, and she sensed his erratic breathing and irregular heartbeat. "What is it?" He ventured.

"Someone's out there…" She said, tossing the stick to the ground. "And I don't think they're good news."

She helped Keetho stand, but froze when the darkness in the force became more concentrated. Whoever was coming, whatever was coming, was now moving faster. Her head whipped in the general direction of the incomer, unseen leaves and branches crunching in the distance.

"Come on." She hissed, pressing him in the back towards the town. She gripped his upper arm tightly, already pulling him even though he hadn't found his footing yet.

Stumbling to regain his composure, he used Colette as a handhold, straightening himself out as he picked a quick pace. They were running, racing each other back to the safety of the village. Out of the corner of his eye, Keetho saw Colette turn her head back a couple of times.

"Split up." He gasped, a pain already starting to form in his side. He didn't know how Colette had so much stamina.

She nodded, instantly taking to the right. Keetho darted to the left, towards the northern entrance of the village, while Colette headed south.

Right before they took off, the air in the abandoned camp seemed to grow dark, and something twisted in the pit of his stomach. But now, he sensed that whatever it was was leaving. The dark air lifted, but the knot in his stomach didn't disappear. He felt like he was two years younger, when in the summer, Colette had been taken and forced into slavery. He wasn't there then, and he wouldn't be there now.

He slowed to a stop and bent over forwards, supporting himself on his knees. Black hair fell into his green eyes, and sweat collected on his forehead and the back of his neck. He couldn't leave Colette, even if she was a jedi and completely capable of taking care of herself. Straightening, he looked back, then sprinted in the other direction without a second thought.

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><p>Colette was actually doing fine by herself. Whatever she sensed was now following her and not Keetho; at least he was safe.<p>

But the same couldn't be said for her.

She was running, running away from the dark. Her master always used to tell stories about the Dark Side, about how it tempted unguarded jedi then changed them for the worse. She feared the change that could happen. She feared what she could become.

Even all the events that happened on this ungodly planet hadn't changed her. She remained caring, careful, and witty. She always thought about the Jedi Temple, and about her friends back home. No matter the slim chance of them finding her, those thoughts had kept her from changing.

And now what she most feared was on her tail. The southern entrance to the village was in eyesight, but clumps of trees kept her from getting there any faster. And what was worse, the dark was gaining on her.

Not even the slavers had this effect on her. Now she was scared outright, and she couldn't completely explain why. Slowing slightly, brown leaves crinkled and scattered as she suddenly leapt to the branches.

However, as soon as her feet touched the waist thick branch, she was knocked off as easily as a rag-doll.

What the heck was that?

Leaves and smaller branches scraped against her face and bare arms before she was able to find a handhold and swing up. She didn't have time to figure out what knocked her down because a figure stopped dead underneath her, distracting her from all other thoughts. The shadows from the high trees kept it's face in the dark. The person looked up at her, and Colette was hit with another wave of the anger in the force.

Below her, at the base of the tree protecting an animals den, were rocks stacked in a little mound. Flicking her wrist, four of the rocks levitated, momentarily startling the figure. She waved her hand again, and they zoomed through the air, all flying at the person from different angles.

But the person just jumped, somersaulting in mid-air, leaving the rocks to clatter against one another before falling to the ground with dull _thud_s.

Not even waiting to see the person land, Colette leapt from branch to branch. If it was someone from the village, or possibly even a slaver, her secret couldn't be found out.

The southern entrance came to her quickly. She jumped down from the last tree, landing nimbly before sprinting under the wooden arch. She was able to duck into the stables and pick her way past the grazing livestock to push open the door at the opposite end. The inn was just a few buildings away, and she was able to carefully slip her way down the streets without causing suspicion.

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><p>Keetho ran until he reached the southern exit. His breathing was strained, and he had to force himself to stay upright and search for any sign of Colette. Pacing back and forth, he closed his eyes, focusing on slowing his heartbeat and breathing normally. He'd found no signs of their pursuer anywhere, so maybe Colette had misread the force or something and no one was really following them.<p>

Moving into the town, his first instinct was to head back to the inn. Whenever they got separated, the inn sort of became their rendezvous point. That's where she would most likely be, he decided.

Bowing his head as a couple of Separatist droids passed, he moved carefully through the small crowds of people in the streets. Mrs. Jonson waved at him from her garden, and he quickly waved back before heading off again. A couple of kids tried to stop him on the street, asking if he wanted to play football. He shook his head, and one of the kids smirked, mumbling "I told ya so." under his breath.

Glowering at the boy momentarily, Keetho ran off again, his determination solely on Colette and her safety.

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><p><strong>So I hope that lived up to your expectations! Remember, if you leave me replies, I may update more often :) -Love from Jay. <strong>


	7. Chapter 7 Reigner's Inn

**Thanks guys if you've been patient with me. I know I don't update often, but since its summer, maybe that'll change. :) Anyways another re-edited post. :) -Love from Jay. **

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><p>He just didn't understand it. He <em>had<em> seen her come through here.

Anakin Skywalker stopped in the middle of the town. Around him, the buildings were made up of mud and stone, mimicking the houses that he was familiar with back on Tatooine. Except on Tatooine those houses were circular and partially underground. Here, the adobe houses were big and blocky, juxtaposing the green and natural environment.

His blue eyes searching over the streets and into every nook and cranny that the houses offered, he craned his neck, looking. He swore the girl had come through here.

He had sensed her before he had saw her out in the middle of the woods. She had a seemingly happy air about her, but with a depression hidden deep in the force. But that was what drew him in: she was force sensitive. He could tell that she was doing her very best to cover whatever darker feelings were being contained inside. He was determined to find her, he decided, because not just anyone possessed that skill and had that particular air about them.

But looking around, he couldn't make her out in the crowd. The town was mostly clear, except for a few stragglers or small groups of people here and there. One couple was out in the front of their house, but once they laid eyes on him, they disappeared so fast that Anakin was worried that he had hallucinated them. Some little kids played in the streets a little further down, but they too, vanished when they saw him.

Did he really look that bad?, a little part of him wanted to quip. He had glanced self-consciously down at his burnt and dirtied black robes, then back at the village.

The signs were in a language that he didn't understand, and he had to suppress a smile when he thought that C3PO would have wasted no time in translating them for him.

Then again, Obi-wan probably could've translated them for him.

Street signs or not, Anakin still walked down the street, his booted feet padding almost inaudibly. Speeders and carts were parked in between alleys and along the road, and some vending stalls stood closed in what would have been a bustling market place. He had stopped at one particular building, where most of the vehicles were clustered.

An inn? Maybe a pub? Anakin couldn't tell so he just pushed open the door and had walked in. Silence momentarily took over, but the diner's customers quickly began to talk again. He spotted a couple of droids near the doorway, so he shrugged his shoulders, keeping his head low. He didn't need the attention.

A young women came up to him, dirty blonde hair pulled back and an apron covering what looked like a skimpy outfit. She spoke in another language, and when Anakin didn't reply, she tried another one.

"Dinner or a room?"

Thinking quickly, Anakin stated. "A room. Just for one."

The girl nodded and disappeared. In the few moments she was gone, Anakin surveyed his surroundings, taking in the diversity of the people. Most were human, but there were a few Twileks here and there, along with a few other species he couldn't quite name. When the waitress returned, she was accompanying a human male with dark brown hair and steel grey eyes. He wiped his hands on a grease stained apron before speaking.

"Taaryn Reigner." He said. "30 coins fa' one night, 50 fa' two." He opened a small booklet in his hand, pen at the ready.

Anakin scanned over the pair before him, his eyes stopping momentarily at the electrowhip strapped to Taaryn's waist. Then he glanced at the blonde girl who was standing patiently a couple of feet away from him.

Drawing his eyes back to the man, Anakin said."I have Replubican Credits, but that's all."

"Don't 'ccept that." Taaryn grumbled. "Only coins. So 'f ya will 'scuse me, I've got food ta make." He glared at the blonde haired girl, who must have appeared to be the source of Anakin's money problem, and flipped the book closed and slipped the pen over his ear before sauntering off and out of sight.

"I'm sorry." The woman said quietly, but I can't help you. She returned to busting the tables.

Anakin sighed and passed a hand over his face. So this was going to be difficult. He didn't have money, he didn't know the native language, and the planet was inhabited by slavers.

His thoughts were brought elsewhere though, as a flash of copper colored skin caught the corner of his eye. With a closer look, the jedi found himself weaving between tables and moving towards the opposite side of the diner.

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><p>Colette slipped through the hallway, past her bedroom, and abruptly pushed open the back door. Keetho was already there, sitting down against the wall, his head leaning back as he breathed deeply. Apart from being worn out though, he seemed to be okay. Colette however, was completely disheveled and beat up. She plopped down next to him, gasping in pain as she held her wrist close to her. Maybe she was a little out of practice. The near miss with falling out of the tree had her struggling to find a solution, and grabbing the tree branch had sharply strained her wrist. But no matter what, she was still happy Keetho was okay.<p>

"I need to go." Colette said after a while, once their heart rates slowed down. She waited a moment, breathing in through her nose, taking in the fresh air, before she spoke again. "I don't wanna be missed."

Keetho nodded, but he made no move to get up. Standing, Colette pushed the door open, and the heavy scent of meat and grease hit her full in the face. The door closed behind her, and the teen opened another door directly to the right.

The room was barely any larger than a seven-by-seven storage unit. It was adorned with a thin, wiry bed set in one corner and a trunk at its foot. Crossing the room in two strides, Colette opened the trunk and pulled out a mirror shard and some extra cloth.

She sat down on the bed, which creaked meekly in protest. She backed up against the wall, her knees coming up to her chest as she rested her chin on her crossed arms. Taking in a shaky breath, she held it, then exhaled slowly.

How could have she been so oblivious? How could she have let something like this get so close to her and Keetho? After she was caught two years ago by the slavers, she swore that if she ever saw the boy again, she would protect and look after him. _No One _deserved to be treated like that.

And so far, she's been able to uphold that promise.

At least until today.

Had that, that _force-knows-what_ caught up to them, who knows what could've happened?

Blinking back sudden tears at the thoughts that overtook her mind, she stretched out and grabbed the bandages next to her. Flexing her wrist gently, she winced in pain. She choked back a sob, biting her lip to do so.

She was in the middle of trying to bandage her wrist when the door was roughly opened, and Taaryn Reigner, the innkeeper and her master, stalked in, brandishing a fiery whip that coiled to the ground.

As if things couldn't get worse.

"Where 'ave ya been?" He shouted at her. "I've had to deal wit' the lunch rush alone!" With no warning he drew his arm back, and Colette found herself lunging off her bed and dancing out of the way as electricity spiked down the length of the whip and into the bed where she was sitting.

She found her footing, and straightened, clenching her jaw to keep her from saying the insults dancing on her tongue.

The whip came at her again, and she quickly sidestepped out of the way.

Taaryn Reigner was one of the few slave owners in the village, but a wealthy background gave him the ability to cooperate with the rich nobles that inhabited some of the larger towns. The whip he kept strapped at his side gave him a sense of nobility, and it was very often when he didn't have it with him.

"I wasn't feeling well." Colette stated, the lie rolling easily on her tongue. She and Keetho had thought this whole conversation out.

"Ya can't disappear!" Taaryn roared, snapping the whip again. This time it caught around her injured wrist, and she cried out in pain, tears stinging the back of her eyes "Ya need to deal wit' it 'n do your job!"

"I'm sorry." Colette choked out, pulling her hand free. "It won't happen again."

"I'll ensure that." Taaryn growled, moving forward. The fiery whip seeming to writhe with anticipation as he shook it at his side.

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><p><strong>Hope you guys liked it! Not much change, just a few extensions. :) Leave your replies and I'll love you forever! -Love from Jay. :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8 Just a Little Help

**Well, I _was_ going to delete this, but since I have such darling readers, I'm not going to. :) Seriously, I love ya'll, you're the best. XD So do you think it's time for an update then? I hope this'll cheer you up. :)**

Anakin had to have been losing his mind. He circled through the diner multiple times, gathering curious glances from some of the patrons as he passed by them. The blonde woman had stopped busting the tables, and instead moved over to behind the counter polishing glasses. Anakin could sense her watching him out of the corner of her eye, and she was possibly ready to call back Taaryn if the need arise.

So he stopped exactly where he started. He felt stupid chasing after a force sensitive girl that he now thought he imagined. But he _hadn't _imagined her, his mind rebuked. He _had _seen her, he was sure of that; He had seen her lose her balance and fall when he force pushed her out of the tree, he had seen her levitate the rocks and throw them at him, he _had _seenher come through here.

But this little cat and mouse chase was just getting absolutely ridiculous. First through the woods and now through a village. He couldn't worry about her right now. His main goal was to find Obi-Wan. He _had_ to find Obi-Wan and get off this god-forsaken planet.

But what if the girl could help?, a part of him asked. He instantly felt a pang of annoyance. Anakin Skywalker asking for help from a child? That was just unthinkable. The Jedi Masters back at the Temple must have been rubbing off on him. He was the stubborn, strong, and confident Chosen One; He didn't need help.

So Anakin abandoned his pursuit and instead pushed the door open, the bell leaving a little tinkling noise behind him. The sun was still high up in the sky, but it was now starting to sink as the later hours of the afternoon settled in.

He closed his eyes, thinking, and leaned against one of the posts that supported the entrance overpass. He had to figure out what to do. He's been stuck alone on missions before, so it wasn't that big a deal. He just needed to relax, maybe find some new clothes, and get his hands on some food. _Then,_ he'll work on finding Obi-Wan.

He let his mind expand, taking in the lifeforms in the village. One particular being stood out from the rest though, positioned directly behind the inn and with a heart rate that seemed to be just slowing down from physical exertion. The jedi walked down the alley between Reigner's Inn and the house next to it, his fingers twitching anxiously to the lightsaber still attached to his hip.

A boy leaning against the back wall of the inn looked back at him, surprised. His green eyes widened slightly, and he jumped away from the wall and stumbled to his feet.

"H-hi." He stammered quietly, fiddling with his fingers in front of him. "I- I was just about to move. I didn't mean to be loitering."

Loitering? Anakin's eyes narrowed at the teen's uncomfortableness. The boy seemed almost scared of him. He kept his eyes downcast, and his fingers were nervously twisting together in patterns. _Familiar_ patterns.

"Where'd you-"

"I-I'm gonna go now." The teen stuttered, cutting him off. He abruptly turned away and trotted in the opposite direction.

The thoughts of the familiar hand gestures suddenly disappeared. Why was everyone so afraid of him?

Anakin thought about leaving the nervous boy to himself, but instead he found himself shouting "Hey, wait!"

The boy froze, his head still bowed, as the jedi approached him.

"Who do you think I am?" Anakin asked when he was close enough.

"Y-You're t-the separatist inspector, right?" The boy said, his green eyes catching Anakin's blue ones before he looked back down.

"No, I'm not." Anakin replied, his eyes narrowing once again. Separatist inspector? So these people were living under the careful watch of the Separatists. And if that were true, then the villagers must have also thought…

"You're not." The boy said casually, more of a reassurance to himself than and confirmation question.

"Yeah... but anyways I was looking for somewhere to stay, preferably somewhere that accepts Republican Credits."

"Republican Credits?" The boy asked, his curiosity showing through. "Why do you have Republican Credits?"

Anakin shrugged. "That's all I got."

"You could stay at my place." The boy said slowly. "We've got a barn out back. You can use it as long as no one finds out."

Anakin thought about the offer. So now he was willing to help him? The boy barely even knew him. "Thanks, kid, but I not sure if thats such a good idea." he said.

"If you're sure." The boy shrugged casually. "It just looks like you could use a little help."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anakin snapped.

"N-Nothing." the boy said quickly. "I-I mean… It looks like you've traversed to the Slaver's Camp and back, that's all."

Anakin's hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation. He really needed to get a grip on his temper. After all, the kid was just trying to help. He lowered his arms slowly, and he saw the boy's eyes glance at his lightsaber. He averted his eyes though, when Anakin spoke again.

"Thanks." He repeated. "And you're right, I could… use… the help right now."

The boy smiled briefly and gestured for him to follow. "This way." he said, leading away from the inn and heading towards the western part of the village.

Anakin followed after a minute, his mind reeling from his internal conflicting feelings. Surely, he didn't _need_ the help from the kid, he was just taking advantage of the boy's hospitality. He would've found another way around it, of course, he was… well _him._

"So what happened to you?" The boy asked after a minute of silence. He looked back at Anakin and his eyes scanned over his clothes pointedly.

"My ship crashed." He replied.

The boy's eyes lit up. "Your ship? Where're you from?"

Anakin smiled at his enthusiasm. "Not from anywhere close." he said, shaking his head solemnly.

"Have you been to a lot of planets?" He continued. "How'd you end up out here?"

"Do you always ask this many questions?" Anakin asked back, casting the teen a sidelong glance.

The boy looked away, a tinge of pink touching his cheeks. "Not usually." He admitted. "Not too many outsiders come here."

"I wouldn't think so." Anakin said, smirking.

"Yeah… Serias is kind of outta the way." The boy's face was still flushing, but he looked back at Anakin anyways. "So, what _did_ bring you out here?" He asked again.

Anakin chuckled. "Sorry, kid, I can't tell you that."

Th boy grinned cheekily. "Hey, man, you're staying in my barn. I can't be hiding some criminal now, can I?"

The jedi chuckled again. So maybe this kid wasn't so bad. "No, I'm not a criminal." he said. "I was sent here for diplomatic purposes."

The boy turned down a side road, where a small house was seen not too far away. Some animals were grazing in a fenced in field surrounding it. Anakin was so caught up in comparing it to the farms on Naboo, that he almost missed the kid's next statement.

"So the good ol' Republic finally sent some jedi here to take care of the Seppers, huh?" The boy said.

Anakin's eyes snapped over to him. "What are y-"

The boy pointed at his lightsaber attached to his utility belt. "You shouldn't be wearing that out in public. You could start some kind of war here, and that's the last thing we need."

Anakin took the hilt off his belt and gripped it tightly in his hands. As much as he hated to admit it, the kid was right. He was lucky that nothing happened at the inn.

"So, jedi, you can stay here for a bit." The boy said suddenly, pushing open the barn door. "The loft would be the comfiest, but if you want to sleep in one of the stalls, be my guest." He stepped back, leaving Anakin still staring dumbly down at his lightsaber. He glanced around, and a Duncow staring directly to the right of him mooed giddily.

"Don't mind, Bessi, she's just a flirt." The boy said, smiling. He backed out of the barn. "I'll be back later, but I have to do some things in town, so don't wait up for me, okay jedi? Maybe you can tell me some your stories about the galaxy; I'd love to hear 'em."

"Yeah, maybe." Anakin said. He looked around, then used the force to nimbly jump to the hay loft. He sensed the kid gaping at him momentarily before he awkwardly said, "I'm Keetho, by the way." and closed the barn doors.

**Ok, so that's it for now. How do you like Keetho? Goofy, right? Anyways, You know the drill. :) Just hit the little review button to make me the happiest person in the world. XD**


	9. Chapter 9 Jedi Who?

**So I found this little piece that I typed up a while ago. Sorry I've gone all MIA on you guys. I'm such a terrible person... Anyways, a tad bit of blood, and some bare back, but nothing a T reader can't handle :) Hope it's okay, I love you all to the end of the world and back. -Jay**

Colette leaned back on her heels and examined the two lightsabers in her hands. One was small and sleek, with her hand wrapped uncomfortably around the hilt. The other was too big and slightly heavy, a complete opposition to her original.

She was outgrowing her old lightsaber, she realized that for months now, and she found it slightly heartbreaking without her old weapon for reassurance. Even through all these years, she kept both of them safe, the only link to her old padawan life back on Coruscant. It was a miracle she had been able to keep them hidden through her months captive in the Slaver's Camp beyond the White River. She had gone through four months of being sold and traded between smaller bands of slavers before she finally reached their headquarters out in the mountains. The lightsabers had stayed safe, with her hiding them under rocks and in logs during the night and slipping them into her tattered robes during the day. The lightsabers' miraculous survivals acted like a sign, and she never gave up hope of having her old life back.

She collected them both in one hand and slipped them back into the trunk at the end of her bed. The mirror shard was next to her, and staring back was a puffy-eyed, tear-stained, 15 year old girl. Her hair was messed up from unsuccessfully being able to dodge the electrowhip, with black strands poking out from her usually perfect braid. She pulled the leather band from the end of it, and her hair pooled around her shoulders, oddly soothing the streaks of torn and angered skin of her bare shoulders and back.

She found a clean shirt at the bottom on her trunk and threw it on, grunting as pain seared down to her hands. She was able to splint her left wrist, which had been hurt when she jumped across the trees, and clean up some of her back. Despite the fact that the electrowhip was meant to only brush across one's back, it still sometimes split the skin, leaving a sickly tingling feeling. And when it came to Taaryn, he never let anyone off easy.

There was a knock on the door, and Colette quickly shut the trunk lid and answered it. Keetho smiled back at her, his eyes sparkling as he glanced once down the hall towards the diner then back at her. Colette stood aside silently, letting him pass through.

"So you'll _never_ guess who I found wandering around the streets. Well… actually he found me, but that's not the point. He's a- Colette?"

The girl had sat down on the bed, not in the least listening to him. Keetho sat down next to her and put a hand gently on her shoulder, which she quickly shook off and winced.

"Did Taaryn…?"

A nod.

Keetho sighed. Sometimes he just wanted to-

"Turn around." He mumbled softly.

Colette pulled her long charcoal hair to the side and turned her back towards him. Crossing her legs, she tapped her fingers together in her lap. She felt the bed lift as he stood up, and heard the lid of her trunk open as he gathered some of scraps of cloth. He disappeared, the door opening and closing as he left, then opening and closing again as he came back. The bed dipped as he sat down, and she felt him fingering the hem of her shirt.

"Can I?" He asked cautiously.

Colette nodded, trying to hide a sniffle as tears one again threatened to pool over her eyelids. She helped him lift her shirt, slipping it over her head then quickly covering her chest.

"Did he find out?" Keetho asked timidly, dipping a length of cloth in the bowl of water he had gotten from the refresher.

"N-No." Colette stammered. Her voice was hoarse, and she shook her head. "I told him I wasn't feeling well. But h-he was still upset."

Keetho dabbed at one of the welts criss-crossing her lithe back. She arched away from him, crying out in pain.

"I'm sorry, Colette, just stick with me."

"No, it's not you fault." She said, clenching her hands in the bunched up fabric over her chest.

"I could've said something. I should've been here."

"It's fine, Keetho, really." She said through gritted teeth as he dabbed once more at her back. His hand grabbed her shoulder, holding her still. "S-So who is it that you've met?"

From a glance over her shoulder, she saw Keetho's face light up slightly. "A jedi." He said casually. "Just visiting the planet."

"What?"

"A jedi." Keetho repeated, nodding. "He's pretty cool. He's staying in my barn."

"Keetho, you could get killed if the Separatists find out he's there." Colette scolded. "What were you thinking?"

"Hey, I hang out with you, don't I?" He said slyly and squeezing her shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, but I've kept it secret for _years_, Keetho. What if some one saw you with him?"

"Relax." He laughed. "I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you right now."

"I'm fine." Colette said. Keetho quirked an eyebrow and brushed a finger against her back. When Colette hissed in pain, he smirked.

"Yeah, you're fine, alright."

"Other than _that._" she snapped. "I'm fine other than _that._"

Keetho resumed to washing off her back, and Colette bowed her head.

"I think you should meet him." The boy said quietly.

Colette shook her head. "No." she said. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" He pulled away, the bloody cloth hovering between her back and the water bowl. "He's a jedi, you're a jedi." He said simply, as if that answered everything. "You _need_ to meet him, Colette."

"No." She shook her head again. "Trust me, I _want_ that life back, but I live here now; I'm too out of practice." She held up her injured wrist. "A _jedi_ wouldn't have let something like this happen."

"Don't sell yourself short. You kicked my butt today in the clearing. And I've seen you practicing in the stables."

Colette glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you've seen me?"

Keetho looked away, blushing. "I… uh, I've seen you before. Practicing with the broom." He looked up and smiled, and it was Colette's turn to blush and look away.

"Yeah, well that's all I had at the time." She defended.

"And there's nothing wrong with it. Colette, it's been three years. You haven't had a master for _three_ years and yet you're still practicing what they taught you at the Temple. Trust me, you _need_ to meet the jedi."

Colette sighed. "I'll think about, Keetho, if that makes you happy. But don't be surprised if I say no."

"That's all I'm asking." He said, trying to suppress a smile. He dabbed at the blood on her back again, his head bent low with his black hair covering his sparkling eyes. He knew Colette would give in to him; She was naturally curious. She wouldn't let this kind of opportunity slip by.

"So what's his name?" She asked suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Err…" Keetho smiled abashedly. "I never asked him."

He could feel Colette smirking, so he swiped his fingers across one of the long welts again.

"Keetho." She wined, arching her back once more.

He smiled, tightening his grip on her shoulder. He finished cleaning off the dried droplets of blood and quickly rung out the rag in the dirty water. He stood up, his back to her.

Colette slipped her shirt back over her and tightened the belt before standing up. She timidly stretched, wincing slightly as her muscles tensed and the fabric scratched against her sore back. She watched Keetho close the trunk's lid and place the bowl of water on top. He smiled momentarily.

"Better?"

"Thanks." She said, full of sincerity. The tingling in her arms was finally starting to go away, and she could now swing her arms back and forth without _too_ much discomfort.

At least the fabric was mostly soft, she thought, glancing subconsciously down at her tattered clothing. Her shirt criss-crossed in the front, held together by the belt wrapped around her waist. Trousers cut off just below her knees, and underneath that she had scraps of cloth wrapped around her legs for warmth. Matching scraps wrapped around her wrists -with the exception of her left one, which was now attached to a splint- and worn boots pulled the entirely light and shabby outfit together. It was better than what some of the slaves wore, for example Rora, the older, blonde-haired teen who wore skimpy shorts and a cut off tank.

She saw Keetho staring at her, and when his eyes caught her amused, brown ones, he quickly looked away, the back of his neck turning slightly red.

"I'm gonna dump this water. I think you should maybe… get back out there. Taaryn might notice you disappearance." He said glumly.

Colette scowled. The last thing she wanted right now was to be working. If only she could just lay down, maybe relax… Her back could heal properly, the stiffness would leave her limbs...

"Colette?"

"Hmm?" She replied absentmindedly.

Keetho raised an eyebrow at her. He was standing in the doorway, holding the door open for her. Colette hadn't even noticed him move in the first place. Her thoughts disintegrated, and reality hit her.

"Yeah, I guess I should."

The boy attempted a smile at her, but it turned out as more of a sloppy grimace. Colette stepped forward and moved around him, and when he closed the door, he fell into step beside her.

"So Rora can't cover you or anything?"

Colette shook her head. "If I didn't know any better I'd think she was the one to turn me in in the first place. Taaryn's never noticed my absence before."

Keetho shrugged. "Maybe. She wouldn't do that though."

Colette agreed silently. It was her fault she got caught. She was reckless; She should have watched her time. Even better, she shouldn't have even left in the first place.

Keetho dumped the bloody water in the refresher, then met her once again in the hall.

"Go." He said. "I'll see you later." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, then headed out the back door.

Colette sighed. All she had to do was get through the rest of day. How hard could that be?


	10. Chapter 10 What To Do

**Hey guys! So I thought I'd continue on :) This chappie revolves around those who are chillin' on the _Resolute_. I feel I needed to get Ahsoka in on things, and well, Rex is there as well. But no Rexsoka going on. Just some conversation. And as well, I put in Obi-wan! I feel I've been neglecting him. (So sorry, Obi) So anyways, I hope you enjoy! Oh, and I'd like to thank Krimson Snow because your such a loyal reader and reviewer. Sorry to make you wait. :) -Love from Jay**

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><p>"Commander Tano?"<p>

Ahsoka barely heard Rex's voice behind her. She was sitting in a chair in the conference room of the _Resolute_, her chin resting on her hand, which was propped up on the giant holoprojector placed in the center of the room. Her left hand was absently drawing symbols on the table, while her blue eyes stared off in the distance.

"Commander Tano?"

Ahsoka hummed her acknowledgement, but made no further movement.

"Any commands? Ahsoka?"

The teen looked up as her first name was used. Rex was standing shyly by the door, his helmet stuck between his side and his elbow. He shuffled his feet momentarily, before repeating. "Do you have any commands for us?"

"Antsy to do something, are we?" She asked cheekily with a smile. She saw the corners of Rex's mouth twinge upward, but he didn't smile or laugh or anything. He did nothing that wasn't characteristic of a Clone Trooper.

"A bit." He admitted truthfully. "The guys are too." He gestured over his shoulder, to where hidden back in the shadows behind the closed doors, Ahsoka was certain a few more troopers were hiding.

"Admiral Yularen doesn't need your help or anything?" Ahsoka asked.

Rex shook his head. "He says everything is running fine, and that he doesn't need us around."

"Oh." Ahsoka said. It was rare when none of them actually had anything to do. The last mission had been a success, and it was on their return trip to Coruscant did Master Kenobi receive the orders for the new one. Since they've been placed so conveniently near the Outer Rim anyway, the the Jedi Master had instantly agreed.

But Ahsoka, on the other hand, didn't. She wanted more than anything to be back on Coruscant in her and her master's dorm. She could take a nice shower, sleep in a comfortable bed…

But no, she was stuck on the _Resolute._

And as much as she wanted to return to the Jedi Temple, she didn't want to leave her Master alone. Sure, he had Master Kenobi for back up, but it still wasn't a comforting thought.

Turning her attention back to the clone before her, she dismissively waved her hand. "Do whatever you want, we just have to wait."

Rex nodded solemnly. "Have you heard any reports from them?"

"No." Ahsoka said. Before Rex had interrupted her, her train of thought had been on them. She _hadn't _heard back from them, something common when it came to Anakin, but for Master Kenobi?

"Do you think they're alright?" Rex asked. He ventured a few steps closer, then sat down in one of the chairs surrounding the holoprojector, placing his helmet on it in the process.

Ahsoka glanced over at the clone captain. "Yeah." She nodded, leaning back in her chair. Though the word sounded more like it was directed to reassure her own mind. "They can take of themselves."

Rex nodded, his eyes never leaving the young jedi before him. Ahsoka's normally alert eyes seemed distant, and the expression on her face looked almost pained.

"Do you honestly think that?" He asked.

Ahsoka paused. "I don't know." She admitted openly. Narrowing her eyes at nothing in particular, she focused all her energy into the Force, waiting for some kind hint concerning the two jedi's force-signatures.

"Have you tried comming them?" Rex questioned, his voice low and gentle. He had noticed how she had gone completely still, and that her face had calmed considerably. He seen something of the like after serving all these years under her and Skywalker; she was searching through the Force. His tore his eyes away from her face, and his gaze flickered to the comlink on her wrist pointedly.

"Yeah, there was no response." she replied just as quietly.

"And you aren't worried?" Rex asked, his brow furrowing.

Ahsoka suddenly stood, stretching her arms out in front of her. Rex stood as well, and his helmet found it's familiar place under his arm.

"Of course I am, but I'm more worried about jumping in to save him. Master Kenobi said we aren't sure what we're up against, and rushing in guns blazin' usually doesn't help us in the long run." She stared up at him, her blue eyes focused on his face.

Inwardly, Rex smiled. On more than one occasion when he was following General Skywalker on a mission, the plan _had_ been to run in guns blazing. It was a crude tactic, but the outcome was, for the most part, positive.

But Ahsoka here was suggesting the exact _opposite_. Yeah, she was almost exactly like her Jedi Master when it came to personality, but when it came to battle, she thought somewhat differently, somewhat more… cautious.

"So, do you have another plan?"

"Not yet." Ahsoka crossed her arms and headed for the durasteel door at the other end of the room. Rex fell into step beside her.

"But we'll have one soon?" He said, somewhat optimistically.

Ahsoka smiled. "Yes, Captain, we'll most certainly have a plan soon."

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><p>Obi-wan Kenobi pushed through the underbrush.<p>

He considered himself lucky that he crash-landed so close to a town; he didn't have to go blundering through the woods in order find some sort of civilization. The only set-back, though, was that he wasn't sure whether the denizens would consider him as friend or foe. And hopefully, no Sepper's had seen the ship crash.

Although, _had_ any Separatists witnessed it, Obi-wan surely would have been encountered already.

He climbed over some rocks, which boosted him up so that he could see down into the shallow valley where the town was inhabited. From the aerial view, he could made out the blocky, adobe buildings, and the patches of brown and light green that were farms. Overall, he noticed, the dull colored town starkly contrasted the greenness surrounding it.

It only took a few minutes for the Jedi to make his way down to the edge of town. He worked his way to the first house he came across, then keeping an eye out for any of the inhabitants, he tore off a couple of garments from the wire that was holding all the laundry. He slipped an oversize shirt over his jedi robes, the edges falling so low that it covered the top half of his thighs, completely hiding his lightsaber from view. What he assumed could have possibly been a scarf quickly found a home as he tied it around his waist, cinching the shirt closer to his body.

He hoped Anakin would have done something of the like. _Anything_ to keep his true identity as a jedi hidden.

Obi-wan casually walked down the dirt road. The houses around him seemed fairly simple, with two stories and possibly even a floor underground. Ladders led to the roofs of a few of them, to which more laundry lines were set up. Barns popped up here and there, and one time, he spotted multiple animals being herded in and out of what he guessed were stables. He quickly assumed that the planet was in lack of technology.

Obi-wan heard the familiar buzzing noise of a machine, and was able to jump quickly to the side of the road before being run over by a speeder.

He wanted to shout after the driver, but looking more closely, he recognized that the pilot was a droid.

Ok, so the citizens were in lack of technology. But the Separatists weren't.

"I need to find somewhere to lay low." He mumbled to himself, keeping his head bowed as he continued down the side of the street. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman pull a boy closer to her as he walked by, then usher him out of sight altogether.

Obi-wan couldn't help but look up. His eyes narrowed at the strange behavior, and suddenly, the woman disappeared into her house, the door slamming shut behind her.

Well that was weird…

"This town has it's reasons for acting strange."

Obi-wan spun around so fast that he almost got whiplash. His hand instinctively went down to his lightsaber, but remembered that it was hidden under the shirt he was wearing. No one could just sneak up on him like that. He didn't even _sense_ it.

Before him stood an old man. Wispy strands of white hair poked out of his scalp, and fell a few inches to cover his ears and forehead. His beard appeared longer than it was, because the man was crouched over, his forearms leaning on the top of a staff. Amused, brown eyes regarded him underneath wrinkled, tan skin.

"Oh," was the word that left Obi-wan's mouth. "Hello there."

The man bobbed his head in the direction of the house the woman and child disappeared into. "Like I said, they have their reasons."

"Is that so?" Obi-wan asked. His hand relaxed, and he moved his arm to hang loosely at his side. "Would you care to elaborate?"

The man smiled, exposing perfectly aligned white teeth. They seemed out of place compared to his wizened, grubby appearance.

"If you'd come with me." He said simply, straightening slightly to point a hand in the direction the jedi had already been heading.

"Who are-"

"You need a place to stay?" The old man interrupted with another smile.

"Well, yes but-"

"Then you'll come with me." He continued. "And I'll explain everything once we're there."

Obi-wan nodded slowly, and took a few steps in the direction the man was pointing. He paused, waiting, and the old man chuckled, his staff lifting from the ground as he started forward.

And Obi-wan suddenly had to trot in order to keep up with the old man's pace.

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><p><strong>Hmmm, so does anyone remember Jhar Mindoun from the beginning of the story? I hope you do, because he's gonna be playing a bigger role soon on. (Although, if you don't remember him, that's ok, because I only spoke about him for like, a paragraph) Anyways, leave your replies, they always make me feel so happy! :D -Love from Jay<strong>


	11. Chapter 11 To Talk to Strangers

**Hey guys! So an extra long chapter here, written especially for those who've been keeping up. I found on my computer some chapters to use, so I'll probably be updating tomorrow as well. I'm going away for a couple of days, so then when I return, I'll update even more. Yay, it's Christmas!... Haha, no... Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Keetho returned to the barn, a plate of food in his hand. He had eaten his own dinner pretty quickly after he returned from visiting Colette, and only stayed a few minutes later to swipe any scraps left over.<p>

Pushing open the door slightly, he slid through the small crack, then quickly closed it behind him.

"Hey, jedi, so I was able to swipe some food for you." He said, still facing the door. He turned around, and found the man sitting on an upturned bucket in the center of the room.

"Thanks, kid." Anakin said, standing up and stretching. The two moved closer together, and the jedi made to grab the plate, but the boy quickly pulled away.

"_If_ you tell me your name first."

Anakin chuckled. Reaching his hand out, he force-levitated a piece of fruit away from the plate, and caught it mid-air.

"That's so not fair." Keetho complained as the man took a bite and smirked.

Anakin swallowed. "Anakin Skywalker." He said, right before stuffing his mouth with another bite. "Jedi Knight, Chosen One, General of the Grand Army of the-"

"Yeah, yeah, you have a bunch of titles; I got it." Keetho said, waving his hand dismissively. He shoved the plate of food in Anakin's direction. "Here you go oh-force-controlling-one."

"That's _Mr._ Oh-force-controlling-one to you." He quipped back, but gratefully took the food and sat back down on the bucket.

Keetho snorted, then grabbed another bucket and turned it upside down in front of him. Plopping down, he rested his chin on his palms, his green eyes watching the man unblinkingly.

"Are you just gonna sit there?" Anakin asked between bites.

"Yup." Keetho replied, popping his _p_. "I was thinking you could tell me something about your travels now." He said hopefully.

Anakin's lips upturned in a smile. "Whatever, kid."

Keetho smiled, his green eyes sparkling as he watched the man in front of him with interest. "So where are you from?" He asked.

"Do you want me to tell you a story, or are you just going to ask me question?" Anakin asked with laugh.

Keetho looked thoughtful for a moment. "Probably the second, but if you have any extra input, be my guest."

Anakin nodded. He finished the plate, and put it on the floor next to him. "I'm from Coruscant." He said, wiping his hands on his robes then linking his fingers together in his lap.

"Nooo." He replied, exasperated. "Where were you _born_?"

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "What-"

"I _know_ all the Jedi live on Coruscant, but you can't all be _born_ there. So where are you from?

"The Outer Rim. Tatooine." He replied dryly, his eyes still narrowed somewhat.

"Really?" Keetho asked. "The jedi collect people all the way out in the Outer Rim? I didn't know that…"

Anakin crossed his arms over his chest and his blue eyes hardened as the boy spoke lowly to himself. How would he know anything about the Jedi? Sure, the boy recognized him as one when they first met, but how would he know anything specific.

"People talk." Keetho supplied. "There're storytellers. We don't live under rocks, ya know."

Anakin nodded. That seemed logical. The Clone Wars _were_ occurring in the same galaxy, after all. And word _did _spread through traders. And merchants. And slavers...

"So as a general, do you have your own squad? Are they really all clones?"

Anakin nodded. "They're very good men. Good soldiers. I'm proud to be leading them."

"Cool." Keetho said. His expressions betrayed his excitement, and more and more qestions kept forming in his head. During the first few weeks he had known her, she had told him non-stop stories about her experiences and lessons. But as time moved on, she had began to close down, and Keetho could barely fish anything out of her.

"And you all have your own ship?" He continued. "What's it called? Where is it?"

"I do." Anakin chuckled. Despite his predicament, he found the boy's company almost… comforting. He finally met someone who _truly_ wanted to hear what he had to say. And as the Chosen One, he naturally liked all the attention. "It's called the _Resolute_." He added. "And it's floating around a couple of systems away. My friend and I came here in a couple of starfighters."

"Wow." Keetho said, sounding overdramatic. "I wish I could leave here in a starfighter. But I don't know how to fly one, so I can't. Besides, I could never leave Colette."

"Who?" The name instantly caught Anakin's attention. Wasn't that name on the datapad Obi-wan had given him?

"She's just a friend of mine. Maybe you could meet her later. So," Keetho continued. "Do you have a padawan learner?"

Anakin was distracted as he tried to wrack his brain. Surely, that _was _the name that was on the datapad.

"Huh?" He asked, as the boy called his name to get his attention.

"I asked whether or not you have a padawan learner."

"I do, actually." He responded, though his eyes were distant as he spoke. "Her name's Ahsoka. She learns very quickly. Obi-wan says that she's just like me."

"Who's Obi-wan?"

Anakin drew his eyes back to the boy. He'd have to worry about the name later. It was too hard to focus with the kid blurting questions out to him every few seconds.

"Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi. He's my old master. He's stuck somewhere on this planet as well."

"And you don't know where he is?"

Anakin scoffed darkly. "If I did, I wouldn't be here."

"What happened to your starfighter? I mean, how did you crash? And how did the two of you get separated?"

"I honestly don't know, kid." Anakin replied truthfully. "Something's going on with this planet. We were brought down by these satellite things, and everything became… out of hand. The Separatists are doing something dark here."

"So your here to stop the Separatists." Keetho confirmed.

"Well, Obi-wan says that we aren't, though now, I'm not so sure. If we have to defeat the Separatists in order to get of the planet, then yes, I suppose we are here to stop them."

Keetho looked thoughtful, and he bit his lower lip anxiously.

"There's a factory out in the mountains. Colette told me about it. I've never been there, but neither has anyone else. Colette only saw it when she was at the Slaver's Camp…" He broke off, his voice solemn.

Anakin picked up on his suddenly down mood. "I think you've asked enough questions for tonight, kid. I need to rest, so maybe I can actually scrape up some story tomorrow morning."

Keetho nodded and slowly stood up. He grabbed the bucket, flipped it right side up, and placed it back in its usual spot beside Bessi's stall.

"Good night then, cause I probably won't see you later; My mom's got me doing chores around the house." Keetho moved towards the door and pulled it open slightly, pausing as he turned around. He bit his lip, debating whether he should say what's on his mind. "Just- just be careful out there, jedi. Everything's not what they seem. This planet may seem beautiful at first glance, but there's crazy ominous things hiding out there. I don't want you to get involved."

Keetho nodded at his last statement, not even caring that Anakin had no response to it, then slipped quietly out of the door.

* * *

><p>"Sit, sit." The old man ushered. He closed the door the the teepee-like hut he lived in, cutting out the late afternoon light. A small fire flickered in the center of the circular room, it's smoke flowing up to the ceiling before funneling out through a small hole. It was the only source of light in the shadowed room, and Obi-wan couldn't help but hold out his hands as he walked blindly towards it. He hoped he wouldn't trip over anything.<p>

"It's very… charming." He said, once his foot made contact with a cushion laying on the ground a few feet away from the fire pit. He sat down, waiting several moments for his eyes to adjust to the gloom around him.

The old man flashed his white smile. "Thank you." He said. He shuffled to sit on a rolled out mat on the floor across the fire. Laying his staff across his lap, he linked his fingers together in front of him as he watched the younger man in front of him with amusement.

Obi-wan's gaze came back to rest on the old man staring at him over the fire. He cleared his throat at the awkward silence, and lowered his eyes.

"Can I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" Obi-wan asked.

The old man chuckled. "Your very polite. And straightforward. I like those characteristics. My name is Jhar Minduon."

"Obi-wan Kenobi." Obi-wan replied. "And it seems that I've…" He glanced around the darkly lit hut. "Lost my sense of direction." his eyes came to rest again on the man.

"That you have, my friend." The old man said. He chuckled again.

Obi-wan's blue-green eyes scanned over the contents of the packed hut. He spotted bookshelves and tables, trunks and crates. A cot was off to one side, with a chest sitting at it's foot. A few decorations hung from the mud wall that circled around them. "Where are we?" Obi-wan asked. "And you wouldn't happen to have a map I could borrow, would you?"

The old man pulled a scroll from a pile of items next to him. He tossed it over the fire, and Obi-wan caught it before unraveling it and laying it down on the ground in front of him.

"We are in the town closest to the White River. Near, Hanging Rock Bridge."

Obi-wan found the location with his index finger. He drew upward, in the direction where he assumed his ship had crashed. Looking up, he opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he noticed that Jhar was looking down at him with an all-knowing smile.

"You're looking for your friend, yes?"

Obi-wan's brow furrowed. "Yes, but-"

"I saw two ships crashing today. Starfighters, am I correct?" -a nod from Obi-wan- "I assumed the two of you were together."

Obi-wan paused. If Jhar had seen them crash, who knows who else. The Separatists might already know that they were on the planet; they could attack at any moment!

But Jhar Minduon held up a hand, and Obi-wan's thoughts froze.

"There is no need for worry." He began, his voice calm. "The Separatists may have all the power here, but years of dictatorship has left them blind. It has also left them ignorant. You do not need to fear them coming after you. The people, though, are an entirely different matter."

Obi-wan straightened from the map. "How do you mean?"

"The Separatist pose no threat to you, but there are the Slavers. The people fear them, and they would do anything in order to protect themselves. They want to survive, even if it means turning in their own friends. You are an outsider to this world, so you are particularly vulnerable. The people would not spare a moment to turn you in."

"Then they shouldn't know." Obi-wan said. "The people'll never find out."

Jhar smiled and nodded. "You must be careful."

Obi-wan paused as his mind took in this new information. Well, it wasn't like he hasn't been in situations like this before. He's been on undercover missions before, and no one ever found out his secret then.

Then another thought struck him.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

Jhar's smile grew wider. "I am old." He said, holding out his arms. Multiple strands of beaded necklaces shone in the firelight. "I have nothing to lose. Death is the only thing that has hold over me."

Obi-wan nodded his understanding. The man could be trusted, he thought slowly. There's no motivation, no incentive.

"Now, for your friend!" Jhar exclaimed, clapping his hands together. He abruptly stood up, his staff clanking to the ground. A long, dark purple cloak billowed around him as he gathered things from around the hut. He grabbed some scrolls from a table, a bowl from a shelf, and a cracked, leather bag from atop the chest at the end of his cot. Sitting back down, he dumped the bag's contents into his left hand.

"What are you doing?" Obi-wan asked, the curiosity getting the better of him. He glanced at the powder in the man's wrinkled hand, then up at his face.

Jhar smiled yet again, his white teeth flashing yellow against the fire's light. "We are going to find you friend, of course."

"Oh, of course." Obi-wan said, though skeptically.

Jhar let out a harsh laugh, and the next thing he knew, there was a cloud of blue smoke in front of Obi-wan's face. He coughed, sputtering, as he leaned back to try and move away from the thick fog created by the old man.

Jhar wiped his hands together, the last of the black, oracle bone powder raining into the fire. He chuckled at the younger man's response.

"The war brings you here, does it not?" Jhar asked coolly as the smoke swirled around in front of them.

"Yes, it-it does." Obi-wan replied between coughs. "My friend and I, we-" He waved a hand in front of his face, "we were assigned to check out the Separatist threat."

"Mmm, I'm sure." He pursed his lips together. "But that's not the only reason, is it."

"Yes, it is actually-"

The old man leaned back on his palms. "You're lying." Jhar casually stated, then he added more quietly, "You jedi have such problems with telling the truth."

"What?" Obi-wan asked, well, more have squawked due to the still thick amount of smoke in front of his face.

Jhar chuckled. "You have more personal reasons, right?"

"Yes, I do. But how- how'd you know I was a jedi?"

"I didn't." Jhar said smugly. "Until you said so now."

"But I- I didn't mean-"

Jhar waved his hand dismissively, the blue smoke smoke curling around his long fingers. "You do not have to explain yourself. Tell me though, why _you_ are here."

"I thought we were looking for my friend!" Obi-wan exclaimed. He waved his hand in front of his face again, but the thick smoke was still present, and the man was forced to breath through it, despite the unpleasant coating it was leaving on the back of his throat.

"We are." Jhar confirmed with a nod. "But we have time before the smoke settles. So tell me, Obi-wan Kenobi, why are_ you_ here?"

"I'm looking for someone I once knew." He said at last.

"An old jedi friend, yes?" He asked, urging the younger man to go on.

"Yes, actually, I am."

"He crashed here a couple years ago, am I right?" Excited, Jhar bent forward, his forearms pressing against his thighs. He waited for the response, even though he already knew it.

Obi-wan blinked through the smoke. Opposite him, he could just make out the old man's angled face, wiry hair, and long beard. Everything below his chest was obscured by the blue fog. His brown eyes stared expectantly back at him, and that smile was still playing at his lips.

"Yes, he did."

Jhar clapped his hands together, startling Obi-wan. "Now we're getting somewhere!" He exclaimed.

"His name was Kib Rowane." The jedi said. "He was with a young girl. She was twelve, I believe. No one has heard from them since. I was wondering… well, if there was a possibility that they're still alive."

Jhar looked thoughtful. "A possibility, yes." He said, "Though it's slim that the _both_ of them are alive."

"What do you mean?" Asked Obi-wan, the fog momentarily forgotten.

"I visited the crash site after it happened." The old man confessed. "Someone forced their way out of the ship, no doubt with one of those lightsabers you jedi are so hell-bent on carrying. But there was a lot of blood lost, from the looks of wreckage and blood stains and whatnot."

"But you found no body?"

"None other than the Clones'." Jhar confirmed. "So perhaps…"

He looked distracted for a few minutes, but his eyes cleared when he looked down at the fire and shouted, "Aha!"

"What is it?" He asked quickly.

"I found you're friend!"

"But, how could you possibly-"

"Does he wear black robes?" Jhar asked, excited. "Does he have a scar over his right eye?"

"Well yes,-"

"Then I found him! And that is all that matters."

Obi-wan looked over at the old man skeptically. He found Anakin just by staring into blue smoke? _Choking-hazardous_ blue smoke to be exact? That was just impossible. The man was certainly crazy...

"Oh," His breath became choked in his throat, and he coughed again. "And, h-how did you do that?"

"I am a witch doctor!" He said dramatically. "I specialize in things such as this." He pointed over the fire to the map still sitting before Obi-wan. "He is in the town fifteen clicks north. Do you see it?"

Obi-wan nodded. One hand was still waving away the smoke, which had sunk down to settle over the map. He had to bend down to make out the 'X' drawn out in black ink. From what he could see, the town didn't look _too _far. At least there were no mountains or rivers separating them.

"Good." Jhar said. "Now do you see that black speck next to it?"

"Yes." Obi-wan replied. He narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

"That is the crash site from a few years ago. You might want to inspect that if you have the chance."

"Thank you." said Obi-wan. He rolled up the map. "It was very nice to meet you, and I don't know how to repay you for your hospitality..." He handed the map back to him, but Jhar pushed it back.

"I feel you will need it more than I will." He said, his white teeth exposed in his smile.

Obi-wan slowly nodded, and laid it down next to him. To be honest, he was still skeptical about what the old man had been telling him. But it was still a lead, and now he had something to work off of. When he looked back up, Jhar was staring at him with an air of interest.

"You think I have skills with the Force." Jhar stated more than asked.

Obi-wan opened his mouth to say something, but instead shook his head and closed it. A smile played on his lips, and he just nodded.

"I do not link myself to your ways." He said. "I keep an open mind." With a long, curled finger, he tapped his temple. "It has helped me over the years. Kept me alive. Keep an open mind, Obi-wan Kenobi, you do not know when you might need it."

Obi-wan smiled. He was completely and utterly confused about the man before him. It was strange how he could be completely amused one moment, then dark and cautious the next. In a way, he was reminded of Master Yoda back at the Temple, who would give out advice whenever needed. Jhar, however, had more… unique methods. And he had a completely different personality. He was an interesting man, and Obi-wan suddenly hated the idea of leaving him after knowing him for so little time.

Jhar grabbed his staff and stood up. After a moment, he looked down at Obi-wan, who was so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't moved. "Don't just sit there!" He chided quite loudly. Obi-wan flinched, and he looked up. Help me prepare dinner!"

Oh yeah, Obi-wan was _definitely_ confused about the man.

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><p><strong>Hmm, so how was that. I was totally channeling Yoda that entire part between Jhar and Obi-wan. :) Anyways, I hope you guys liked all of Keetho's annoying questions as well as his almost slip-up. As well as Obi-wan's experience with the strange witch doctor. :) Oooh, mysterious... Soooo, leave your replies! I need feedback, criticism, yada yada. And if your confused with anything, pm me, so I <em>know<em> to put that info in later. :D Thanks guys, -Love from Jay**


	12. Chapter 12 Decisions, Decisions

**Hey guys! I know I don't have many reviewers, but that hasn't been stopping me. I have more personal reason's for finishing this *cough cough accomplishment cough cough*. :D But anyways, here's the next chappie! I'm currently out of state, and in a ittty-bitty hotel, but whateves. I had this typed up a little bit ago, and I didn't get a chance to go over it and review/add more details, so if you see any typos, my sincerest apologies. Anyways, here goes... -Love from Jay**

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><p>Colette was in the middle of clearing off a table when she felt a tap on her shoulder.<p>

"Rora, I already told you, I'm not going to- oh."

Keetho sheepishly waved and smiled at her, then gestured for her to follow him.

With a concerned frown, Colette tucked the rag she was holding in her apron strings, then grabbed the tray full of dirty dishes. She glanced around the diner, spotting Taaryn near the entrance door, his back to her. She placed the tray on the bar, then disappeared down the back hallway with her friend.

"What do you want, Keetho?" She asked, her voice a whisper. "I can't be gone for long. I don't want Taaryn to notice."

"It's about the jedi, Colette. I really want you to meet him."

Colette's eyes widened. "You came in here for _that_?" She asked.

"Well, yeah." Keetho looked truly surprised. "I learned more about him! And, I mean, it's the only chance for you-"

Colette shook her head, strands of her black hair swinging in her face. "No, Keetho." She said. She looked up at him, her brown eyes desperate. "I can't leave. I have to stay here."

"But _why_?" He asked. He grabbed her shoulder when she turned around, and she swung back around to face him. "You can't be serious Colette! This isn't your life!"

"It is now." She whispered.

"But you deserve so much more." he whispered back.

Colette smiled sadly. "Thanks, Keetho. And I know you mean well, but it would be better if I didn't. It's too late for me. Besides," She punched his shoulder playfully. "what would you do without me?"

Keetho smiled. "Actually, I'm sure I'd be ok."

"But _I_ wouldn't." Colette admitted. "I'd miss you too much. I'd be too far away, and I wouldn't be able to see you-"

"Just shut up, Colette!" He laughed. "At least _consider_ meeting him. Please? For me? It wouldn't kill you. And then, well, we'll just figure everything else out later."

His hand came up to brush the hair out of her face. Colette bit her lip, her eyes on his, as she decided what to do.

"I'll sleep on it." She said. "But I'm not promising you anything."

"Thank you." Keetho said softly. "That's all I'm asking."

"But no promises!" She snapped quickly.

"Ok, ok." He laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He turned from her, heading in the direction of the back door. He threw a wave over his shoulder, and Colette couldn't help but snort. Smiling, she walked in the opposite direction, heading back to finish her chores.

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><p>4 hours and 32 tables after Keetho had visited her, Colette found herself stumbling into her room exhausted. Actually, she didn't know what she was doing; her mind was half asleep. Her legs moved on their own, replaying the same routine she did every night: Wash the dishes, clean the floor, flip the chairs upside-down and hang them over the edge of their tables. But now everything was done, and she could just <em>relax.<em>

Colette staggered onto her bed, falling onto her back and wincing at the pain that shot down her lower back and arms. The hard mattress seemed like heaven though, at least she was off her feet.

Taaryn had her working her butt off tonight, but no more than usual, thank the force. But, he _did_ let Rora off early, and Colette had to do all her chores without a second pair of hands.

Colette didn't even bother to kick off her boots as she rolled over in her bed. Facing the wall, she picked at the hem of the thin, brown blanket, suddenly unable to sleep. Thoughts about the day's events kept playing over and over in her mind.

Her mind eventually drifted back to what Keetho had told her. Her life was too… messed up… at the moment. She'd have to worry about the jedi later, and the decision that would affect the remainder of her life.

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><p>Keetho blinked at the sunlight penetrating his curtained window. Stretching, he was forced to face the fact that he had to get up. He threw the covers back, groaning as he realized the morning's chores he had to do.<p>

His mother was in the kitchen when Keetho jumped down the ladder that led to his attic bedroom. She was cooking breakfast, and the smell of toasted flatbread and fresh fruit had him quickly appearing at her side. He was a fifteen year old boy after all.

Simore smiled to herself as she recognized her son's presence next to her. She finished peeling a Muji fruit and handed it to him, in which he bit into it gratefully.

"The Duncows need to be let out." Simore said, as if Keetho hadn't heard that statement everyday for the past ten years.

He nodded and leaned against the counter so that he could watch her. Simore glanced up at him, her green eyes catching his.

"What did you do?" She asked exasperatedly.

"Me?" A smile touched Keetho's lips, then he smothered it by taking another juicy bite of the Muji fruit.

"I know you, Keetho." Simore said. She finished peeling another Muji fruit and placed it in a jar to be preserved. Wiping her hands on a towel, she turned to face him.

Keetho swiped up a piece of flatbread and smothered butter over it, waiting for the guilt trip he knew was coming. Simore just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Keetho?" She said at last.

"It's nothing really." He said, biting into the toast and continuing through mouthfuls. "I'm letting someone stay in the barn. But only for a little while- Ouch!"

Simore had smacked him with the towel. She lowered it, and Keetho cringed away, a guilty but amused expression on his face.

"Only for a bit, mom! The guy had no place to go, and he didn't have any money."

"I don't care! I don't want you bringing anyone back here! It'll get us into trouble, and you of all people know that."

The boy's face fell slightly, but he covered it by stuffing the rest of the toast into his mouth. Simore made to smack him again with the towel for his un-gentlemanly table manners, but Keetho had already darted out of the front door.

"No one will find out!" He called over his shoulder. "And it's only for a little while, I promise!"

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><p>"Colette? Colette! <em>Colette!<em>"

Rora caught one of the younger girl's flailing wrists as she shot upright, her other hand tightening into a fist as she readied to defend against her attacker. As Rora watched Colette's eyes dilate back into their normal size, she finally released her hand.

"What do you want?" She asked tiredly, relaxing her clenched hand and laying back down.

Rora got up from her spot on the edge of the bed and said, "Well good morning to you too, sunshine. You need to get up. Taaryn's given you stable duty."

Colette groaned and threw her arm over her face, grateful for the blackness that offered her the peace and tranquility that was sleep. The pillow was pulled out from underneath her, and she felt it hit her in the stomach.

"Ow, Rora, I'm up, ok? I'm up!" Catching the pillow as it came down a second time, Colette shifted her position so that her legs were hanging off the side of the bed. "See, I'm getting up. No need to start a war."

Rora dropped the pillow next to her, then made to leave the room, pausing at the doorway to shout, "don't forget to put the shovel back in the right spot this time!"

Colette had to stifle another groan. Standing up, the exertions of yesterday hit her full blast, and everything from her shoulders down protested in pain.

She changed quickly and pulled her hair back into a single braid, then tightened the bandage still around her wrist. Half-healed scratches criss-crossed her skin, and she realized that they were from her little trek through the trees in the forest. But she couldn't worry about that right now. They'd heal in time, and they were definitely the least of her concerns.

Her dreams of last night had been plagued with thoughts of the news that Keetho told her. Maybe, just _maybe_, there actually was a jedi on Serias. He could help her! He could take her back to Coruscant, and she could resume her training as if nothing had ever happened.

But all of that _did _happen, something else nagged at her. The chances of her resuming her old life and just forgetting about the past three years were very, very, slim. Her life was here now.

Besides, she was too out of practice. She was twelve the last time she had learned anything new. Master Rowane was gone now, and she had no one to teach her. She couldn't burden herself on any other teacher. Especially not after the crash, Master Rowane's death, and her years of solitude on Serias.

Well, solitude as far as Keetho being involved. The green eyed, comical boy was the only thing that had kept her grounded these past few years. Sure he was goofy and dorky at times, but when push came to shove, he proved that he was always there for her. Keetho was the best friend she never had on Coruscant.

Parts of her wanted to go meet the jedi. It was an opportunity, and Colette knew that this window wouldn't stay open long. This could be her only chance at returning to her old life. But, on the other hand, she had started anew here. Although her life had been pretty suck-y so far, her experiences had helped her evolve into who she was: inventive and cunning, but amiable to those select few. She learned more about herself within the past few years than in her entire life at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Keetho was here too, and she couldn't just leave him.

She didn't even _want_ to leave him.

Colette bit her bottom lip, suppressing the smile that materialized as thoughts resurfaced in her mind. Keetho, her goofy, dorky Keetho who could put a smile on anyone's faces as well as play the role of a sympathetic and understanding peer. _Her_ Keetho, she emphasized. He was there for her, and she would always be there for him.

The morning sun was barely past the horizon as she pushed the back door open. So it had to be what? 6? 6:30? Earlier than she's been up in a few days.

The stables were directly to the left of the inn. Along with the posts out front of the diner, the stables were a place where travelers could tie up their mounts as they ate or slept. With it being so early in the morning, no creatures stood outside.

Colette pushed open one of the large wooden doors. Protesting with creaks and screeches, the door finally slid open, landing with a somewhat loud bang as it settled into place on its hinges. Stretching, Colette glanced around the stalls, taking in the clients of her morning duties.

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><p><strong>After adding this on here, I realized how choppy it was. Sorry, but I <em>had<em> to squish in the night part along with Colette's thoughts. I'm sorry, I might go back and fix that later... Anyways, so for me, I think Colette is just being stubborn... but I'll let you decide. :) Leave your replies! :) -Love from Jay.**


	13. Chapter 13 In Trouble

**Here's the next part, my dears! :) In this you're gonna see some of the darker affairs of Serias. Remember this is rated T. There is a bit of mature content later, but nothing graphic or traumatizing to young minds. I hope you enjoy and don't get too scared off. I needed to get the plot moving, and this'll help get it going faster. Leave your replies! -Love from Jay.**

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><p>Finishing the Muji fruit, Keetho tossed the remains into the weeds alongside the road. A Keon, a small creature that looked like a cross between a monkey and a possum, scrambled forward, claiming the discarded fruit before scuffling off into the trees again.<p>

Keetho watched the animal with interest before it disappeared. This poor, poor planet. Beautiful and wonderful though it was, Serias has never seen darker days since, well, never. There's never been a war on Serias since before the incident with Colette's ship. The government had run smoothly, but that was, of course, before the Separatists invaded.

Now even the smallest Keon was struggling to survive.

Keetho stuffed his hands in his pockets. With his mind drifting off into thoughts about the Clone Wars and the jedi, he didn't even realize he was standing in front of the barn until he was pushing the door open. He was welcomed by Bessi's mooing, and his thoughts were disrupted.

"Hey, ol' girl. How ya doin'?"

She mooed in response, and a voice wafted down from the loft.

"Oh, I hope your not talking to me."

Keetho looked up in surprise, a smile instantly crossing over his face. "You're still here."

Anakin jumped down from the loft, landing with a soft thud and disturbing the stray pieces of straw lying on the ground. He wiped his hands on his robes as he straightened.

"Won't be for long, kid. Thanks for the shelter. And for the food last night." Anakin held out his hand and Keetho returned the handshake, his face betraying his disappointment. "It's no problem. But, you're leaving soon? Where're you going to go?"

"I've gotta find an old mentor of mine." He said, smiling at his own joke.

Oh, right, he need to find Obi-wan. Another wave of disappointment swept over the boy. He really wanted him to wait until Colette agreed to meet him.

"Yes, but so soon?" He asked.

"Yeah, sorry, kid." Anakin said.

"Well can you at least stay for the rest of the day? I mean," He gulped, realizing he was rushing. "I'd love to hear some more stories of yours, and you can become a little more familiar with the town and its… traits."

Anakin cocked an eyebrow. The boy was rambling, and he could sense in the force that he was anxious about something.

"What aren't you telling me?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" Keetho exclaimed quickly. "I'm not _not_ telling you anything." He paused, thinking about his own comment and whether it made any sense. "Yeah, no it's nothing that I'm not telling you. It's just, well, I don't know…" He broke off, completely at a loss for words.

Anakin couldn't help but chuckle. For a moment there, he was thinking that the boy had handed him over to the Clankers. But he had no motivation, the jedi realized, and whatever was bothering him, he could tell through the Force it wasn't a dark enough secret for him to be worrying about his well-being.

"I really need to be searching for my Master…" He began.

"Wouldn't it be best to stay here anyway, then?" Keetho asked suddenly. "I mean, if he's looking for you, then you'd have better chances of him finding you if you stay in one place, right?"

"I suppose so, yes." Anakin confirmed. His blue eyes gazed over Keetho, who was anxiously biting his lower lip as he waited. "Then I guess I'll stay, but only for today. I'll be leaving early tomorrow."

Keetho's face broke out in a wide smile. "Great!"

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><p><em>Focus, Colette, you can do this.<em>

The girl stood off to the side of the barn. She had brought a horse out from one of the stalls -the last of her morning duties- and it was currently tied to a support beam placed in the center of the spacious room. Her hands were out in front of her, palms facing towards the bucket of clean water sitting a couple feet away.

She let all her energy flow into the Force, and slowly, almost too slowly for her patience, it raised off the ground, stopping when it was eye level with her.

Colette smiled, her joy radiating off her in beams. It's been _so_ long since she's last done anything of the sort involving the Force. And the fact that she still possessed the skill of patience and focus, made her ecstatic with joy.

The bucket raised ever so higher, then glided to hover over the horses back. Tilting her wrist, the bucket slowly dumped it's contents over the animal, the water running over it's neck, back, and sides to rain off it like a waterfall.

The bucket landed with a soft thud at her feet, and she smiled, hands on her hips, as she studied the wet horse in front of her.

But she was quickly forced out of her fantasy and she sighed, picking up another bucket full of soapy water and a brush. The horse whinnied as she moved in front of it, and regarded her with big, brown eyes. Colette couldn't help but smile again, and proceeded to rub the animal down with the suds.

She finished with a content laugh as the horse shook it's head, soap bubbles flying everywhere. Backing up, she cocked her head to the side, letting out yet another laugh as the horse neighed and pawed at the ground anxiously. It was covered in white bubbles, and from what Colette could tell, it didn't like it one bit.

"Ok, ok, I'm almost done." She chided.

Colette filled the empty bucket with some more clean water from one of the couple of barrels sitting in the corner of the barn. She set it on the floor, wanting to once again use the force to levitate it.

And she did. She had it hovering over the animal's back when she heard the creaking of wood.

And one of the large double doors opened faster than she could have put the bucket back down.

"Aw, _hell_!"

Startled by the rough and surprised voice, Colette dropped her hands to her sides, and the wooden bucket fell out of the air, landing on the poor horse's back, who gave a surprised and resentful neigh. The horse jumped forward, the rope pulling taut, before it was pulled back. It trotted in a circle around the support beam it was tied to.

Colette pulled her attention away from the anxious horse as Bodi shut the door behind him and stepped closer to her. Bodi, the bully that had his face turned purple from Colette's concoction, had a smug smile on his now-back-to-normal face.

"I _knew_ something was up with you."

"I'm sorry?" Colette's face fell into a well rehearsed blank expression as she feigned innocence and turned away from him. She moved over to the horse, grabbing the rope to stop it from moving, and placed her hand on its nose as she tried to calm it down. The horse whinnied again, something to Colette that sounded like a _I'm fine, just don't do that again._

Bodi ignored her question, instead slowly stalking up to her in silence. "You and that boy, you're always disappearing. Now I know what you've been up to."

Colette's eyes hardened as she stared intently at the horse's head in front of her. It's big, brown eyes stared back calmly, almost as if it was trying to tell her something. Her hand came up to soothe it's muzzle, and it responded with a content snort. Looking back at it's eyes, Colette could have sworn that something deep within them was trying to warn her.

Bodi came to a stop next to her, and he placed an arm against the support beam as he leaned against it. "You know what I'm talking about."

Colette risked a glance at him. "No, I really don't." She said coolly.

"Don't lie to me." He said with the same amount of coolness. He straightened suddenly and stepped even closer to her.

"Don't lie, jedi."

Colette's eyes widened. "Sorry?"

Bodi smirked. "I know you're a jedi. How else could it be explained? I've seen you before anyway." He said, rushing to cut over the reply she was about to support. "This wasn't the first." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Are all jedi as sloppy with secrets as you?"

Colette decided to just ignore him. So what if he's seen her? He couldn't do anything about it. No one would believe him.

"I can tell you have no concerns if I told Taaryn." He said, rather thoughtfully, as he watched her expressions. "But what about the boy?"

Colette's face remained blank. Keetho already knew about her secret. So what point would it make to tell _him_?

"Ohhh." Bodi said, laughing lightly. "You think I'm gonna _tell_ Keetho what you really are. But I know that he knows. What I _mean_ is that I can promise you that your boyfriend's life will turn to hell at my hand."

Colette's face blanched. He couldn't hurt Keetho. She _wouldn't_ allow it. She'd protect him at all costs, even if it meant putting herself in harm's way. And somehow she could sense that Bodi knew that too.

"But you can prevent your little boyfriends demise," He continued, his voice husky, "If." He stopped, and Colette could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck. "You come back to my place, _and _you do everything that I say."

He straightened, his dark blue eyes watching her face expectantly. He fingered a strand of black hair that had fallen in front of her face as she made her decision.

"What's it to you?"

"It's been a pretty sucky few days." He shrugged. "I could use the entertainment."

Colette stepped away from her and returned her attention to the horse's muzzle. "No."

Bodi smirked. "Pity. I honestly think I could've grown to like you." His hand left her hair, and instead trailed down her arm to her lower back. "I could change your mind, you know." He said.

"No thank you." Colette said, pulling once more away from him. "Your not really my type, so… yeah, I'm gonna be going-"

She turned away from him, moving to the other side of the horse, but he gripped her arm, and was quickly pulled back.

"You can go when I say you can, slave." He spat, his blue eyes suddenly so dark that they looked black. He pushed her, and she crashed against one of the stalls. She groaned, the pain of the previous night returning to leave a dull ache in her back.

Bodi grabbed both her wrists in his and pinned them to the wall behind her. She winced as the makeshift splint gave way on her left one. Bodi smirked, his head bending lower so that they were at eye level.

"That's not all the pain you'll be in when I'm done with you."

With that, he kissed along her jawline, before dropping down to suckle on her neck. Colette struggled, shaking her head from side to side and pulling desperately for the release of her arms, when she was rewarded with a sharp bite, stopping all her motions with a loud yelp.

Bodi smirked at her reaction, lowering his head again. Colette twisted away from him suddenly, managing to get her left hand free of his grasp. But the boy simply caught it again, then gathered it, along with her other, in his right hand and pinned them against the wall above her head.

Vulgar thoughts were running through the older boy's head, Colette could tell that much by his dilated eyes. He snarled, a vicious noise coming from the back of his throat, and girl couldn't help but flinch slightly. Thoughts swirled through her mind, battle tactics, in a way, and she was momentarily distracted. His grip tightened around her wrists, and his other hand danced dangerously close to her trousers. She had to figure something out. Fast.

"Let go of me!" She hissed. Without thinking, she acted on instinct. She brought her foot up and it collided with the Bodi's kneecap. It was his turn to let out a startled yelp, but he still didn't release her hands.

Huffing, and testing his weight gently on his leg, Bodi grabbed at the belt wrapped around her waist. It gave way with a _snap_, and her shirt fell open. He wrapped his hand around her waist, gripping tightly, leaving the girl gasping in pain.

"Calm down, jedi, and this will be so much easier on you." he whispered. His fingers traced the hem of her trousers, before he slipped them in to remove them all together.

"Get. Off. ME!" She all but screeched. Her hand clenched into a fist, and the boy suddenly felt his trachea being cut off. He sputtered, his face red, and his grip slackened. Colette used the distraction to pull her hand free, and she shoved him, using the force as an extra boost, to the opposite side of the barn.

"What-?"

But Bodi couldn't finished his sentence. Colette clenched her hand again and raised it, and the boy succumbed under her control of the Force like a ragdoll. He was hovering a few feet over the ground when Colette's mind finally cleared. All anger and panic gone, she dropped him, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Not even glancing at the body, she ran.

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><p><strong>Poor Colette. I'm so sorry that I had to put you through that. I hope all of you guys felt the same too. :( Remember to leave your replies! It keeps me posting. :) -Love from Jay.<strong>


	14. Chapter 14 On the Move Again

**Hey ya'll! Here's yet another post! I am totally on a roll... :) But anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who's stuck with me all this time. And for the reviews! I love you all for them, even the little criticisms I get, because lets face it, nobody's perfect and I'm human, so I make mistakes. **

**Here's the next part, because you guys are so inspiring. XOXO -Love from Jay.**

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><p>Obi-wan's eyes flickered open. He was staring at the dark ceiling of a circular adobe hut, and it took the fading smell of boiled vegetables and roasted chicken for him to realize where he was.<p>

Jhar stirred on the cot across the room, his arm falling over the side and his fingers grazing the floor. He muttered something that remotely sounded like _go to sleep_ before he fell back into a deep slumber, his shallow snore once again filling the quiet room.

Obi-wan pushed himself to sit with his arms stretched out behind him, palms flat against the fur mat he had slept on. His mind was still somewhat drowsy from sleep, and through heavy eyelids, he glanced around the room, from the cooling embers in the fire pit to the beam of light flowing through the circle in the roof.

Light!

Blue-green eyes snapping wide, he realized it was the next day. And it wasn't dawn, either, it was probably close to midday. He had wasted _half the morning_ sleeping?

The blue smoke had cleared out of the dwelling a couple hours after the pair had cooked and eaten dinner. However, the faint odor that the fog had created lingered late into the night. Jhar had fallen asleep rather quickly, almost as if he had been accustomed to the smell for many years. Obi-wan, on the other hand, had stayed up late, his eyes on the ceiling, as his mind organized all his thoughts and worries.

And now, he was regretting it.

He had wanted to get an early start. He needed to find Anakin, finish the mission, and get off the planet.

Jhar stirred across the room, and the jedi's eyes drifted back to the sleeping figure. He held his breath, waiting. He wanted to get out without waking the elder.

"You could figure out some kind of breakfast, you know, instead of sitting there."

Obi-wan had long since gotten over the strange man's quirks. He smiled, shaking his head, before forcing himself to his feet. His poncho-like shirt and belt had been thrown to the side of the fur mat, where they were tangled in a ball along with his outer robes. His lightsaber was placed precariously balancing on the top. Obi-wan was left in his long-sleeve undershirt and trousers, along with his boots, and he found it to be quite comfortable during the time, considering the largeness of the fire and his close proximity to it during the night.

Now, though, with the fire no more than a few burning embers, and with the morning air flowing in between the boards of the closed windows and the through the hole that let the fire's smoke drift into the atmosphere, he found he was slightly shivering from the cold.

But Obi-wan wasn't sure that the coldness was solely connected to the lack of warmth from the fire.

He felt alone.

An unsettling chill had found a home deep within his muscles and bones. And he was _certain_ that the feeling was due to his loneliness. He felt isolated even, without Anakin, or R2, or 3PO, or even R4 for that matter, at his side.

"Come on, jedi, you can move faster than that." Jhar tossed his legs over the cot's edge, the canvas creaking on the wooden supports, bringing the younger man out of his thoughts. Jhar's purple robes fell to the ground to stop short just above the ankle. He slipped on a pair of sandals that sat near his feet before standing and stretching with a loud groan.

"Left-overs?" Obi-wan asked, clearing his throat slightly. He picked up a covered dish from one of the shelves.

"That'll be fine." Jhar replied. He found some logs in a pile near the front door, and tossed them into the fire, ash spewing in every direction.

Ob-wan looked away from the man as he moved around, and focused on getting the lid off the durasteel canister the left-over chicken had been shoved into. It came off with a _pop-hiss_, and he tossed the lid carelessly onto the table then slid two wooden dishes in front of him.

"You are upset?" Jhar asked casually while he tossed another log into the fire.

Obi-wan shot a glance over his shoulder, meeting the old man's brown eyed gaze momentarily.

"A little." Ob-wan admitted. "I had hope to get a head start and leave early."

Jhar smiled as Obi-wan brought a plate over to his spot before the fire. The old man had gotten the fire going again, and Obi-wan was grateful for the heat it provided. He shivered one last time before sitting down and picking at his own food.

"We can not change time." The old man began. "So there is no use sulking about it."

Obi-wan forced a tentative smile. "Of course."

"You will find your friend. I can assure you that." Jhar said. He finished his plate off quickly and stood, leaving the younger man by himself. He placed his cleaned-off dish in a bucket full of other dishes and utensils that needed to be washed.

"I hope so." He heard Obi-wan murmur.

"But you will!" Jhar exclaimed. He slowly walked around the one-room hut, his hand passing over the windows as he came by them. The shutters opened, rays of light spattering the ground in odd patterns. Finally, he returned to where he started, and he stared down at the dismal younger man, his arms crossed over his chest.

Obi-wan looked up at the figure over him, and had to try his hardest to smother the chuckle trying to escape his lips. Jhar stood before him, arms crossed, white hair more wispy with his bed-head, and an almost pouting expression on his face. He reminded him of how Anakin would act on some occasions, especially when he was a teenager.

"You are being to pessimistic." Jhar snapped. "You _will_ find your former padawan. It is meant to be."

Obi-wan quirked an eyebrow, his mouth half open to ask what he meant, when Jhar cut over him.

"Now is not the time to be asking that! Since you were in such a hurry a few minutes ago, I would think you would be now."

"Right." Obi-wan said. The older man's abrupt change of topic didn't faze him in the least, and he simply stood up. "Right, right… the town. Fifteen clicks north, correct?"

Jhar nodded. "The northern path will take you directly there. You'd be there by evening, at the latest."

Obi-wan placed his empty plate in the bucket along with the others, then proceeded to pull on his many layers of robes. He snapped his lightsaber onto his utility belt, then slipped the overlarge shirt over it, finally tying it off with the belt. He found the map where he had left it the previous night, and slipped that too, into his utility belt.

Meanwhile, Jhar was sauntering around the hut, gathering supplies that fit into a two-strapped, leather bag. At last, he handed it to Obi-wan, who looked at it curiously.

"Food." He said simply. "And some supplies. Whatever trouble you come across, the answer will be in there."

Obi-wan nodded, too grateful to even say anything. Jhar had gone through so much trouble helping him, even at the risk of his own life. If the Separatists had found out he had been hiding right under their noses… oh, he couldn't even think about it.

"The inspector is due today." Jhar continued. "So it would be best to continue through the town quickly and unnoticed. Do _not_ draw attention to yourself. Remember what I told you about the people of Serias. Once you reach the forest you should be okay. That is, _if_ you don't get eaten by starvation driven creatures or captured by slavers."

"Oh." Obi-wan's mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape. "Then this shouldn't be too hard."

Jhar smiled suddenly, his whole face lighting up. "But you _will_ be fine! You are Obi-wan Kenobi, and the odds are in your favor!"

"Then why give me the supplies?"

"Well, the future is never set, now is it?" Jhar replied. "It's good to be prepared; remember that."

"Okay." The younger replied, drawing out the second syllable. Anyways, he slipped the bag over his shoulder, shifting it until he found a comfortable position.

"Good luck." Jhar said.

Obi-wan gave a bow, and he felt the elder's hand lightly touch his shoulder. He straightened, his eyes catching the man's brown ones again.

"Thank you." Obi-wan said. "I have no idea how I can repay you."

Jhar's smile was genuine. "You don't have to." He said. "Just be safe, and find your friend." He grip tightened on Obi-wan's shoulder, and the younger realized he was being turned around and pushed towards the door.

Obi-wan stumbled past the door frame, and into the bright, late morning light. "You may even find something you're not looking for!" Jhar called out after him.

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><p>Keetho sat atop the fence around the farm's land. He bit his lip as he absently watched the remainder of the duncows leave the confines of their stalls in the barn, and trot out into the open field behind it. Keetho heard the quiet padding of feet on the grass, and felt the wooden beam shift slightly as someone leaned against.<p>

"What's on your mind?"

Keetho's green eyes focused, momentarily narrowing on Bessi as she trotted towards them, before sliding over to the figure next to him. Anakin was standing on the other side of the fence, his forearms crossed over the beam.

"Nothing." Keetho murmured, drawing his attention back to the grazing duncows.

"It's not nothing." Anakin replied. He nimbly jumped over the fence, his feet landing on the lowest beam, before he turned and sat down similarly to the younger boy. "I've face many enemies over the years. The look you have on your face, and in your posture, give away that much."

"I'm just thinking about a friend." Keetho murmured. He smiled slightly. "I'm just a bit worried about her."

"Colette?" Anakin asked. The name had instantly resurfaced in his mind. If he couldn't focus on finding Obi-wan at the moment, he could at least look into the missing jedi he had heard about.

Keetho nodded. His eyes unfocused again, the pupil's growing wide as his mind drifted.

"Who is she?" Anakin pressed, somewhat gently. He didn't want to scare the boy off, or possibly even shut him down. He_ needed_ to learn about the girl; It was a strange feeling developing in the pit of his stomach.

Keetho's shoulders moved in a shrug. "Just a friend." He mumbled. He had promised Colette that he would keep her identity a secret, even in a circumstance such as this. It was her secret, and it was ultimately her decision about who she wanted to tell. Keetho had kept that promise all these years, proving his loyalty to her, and sure as hell wouldn't break it now.

Anakin noticed the determined expression that passed over the boy's face. He would know that expression anywhere, and all thoughts of the missing jedi momentarily left his mind.

"But she's more than that." Anakin said, smirking slightly.

"What?"

Anakin cast his eyes out over the duncows, but the smirk never left his face. "To _you_, she's more than that."

Keetho shook his head, smiling. "Maybe." He admitted. "But it wouldn't work out." His smile faltered, his eyes going distant once again.

"You never know, kid." Anakin said. "But, between you and me, I was in the exact same predicament a few years ago. And everything worked out."

Keetho's eyes snapped over to the older. His mouth opened slightly. "But-but I thought jedi couldn't form attachments."

Anakin barked out a laugh. "There you go again! You probably know more about the jedi than the padawans do themselves! Where do you learn all of this?"

"I told you; the storytellers come through the towns. They learned from the traders and merchants that used to pass through Serias."

"And they tell you about jedi philosophy?" Anakin asked skeptically.

"Hey," Keetho shrugged. "Don't ask me that. Ask them."

Anakin shook his head, rolling his blue eyes slightly. "Whatever," he murmured. "The point is, don't give up. She'll come around."

"Maybe." Keetho said. His lower lip was captured between his teeth again in a nervous habit that he had long since tried to give up. In front of him, Bessi had come to a stop, and was currently trying to get Anakin to pet her by nudging his knees with her head.

Keetho's head abruptly swiveled around, his green eyes searching the landscape behind them. He had suddenly felt sick to his stomach, and his thoughts were totally consumed by his only friend.

"Keetho?" Anakin asked from next to him.

But the boy ignored him, and instead focused on the green span of land. His hands turned into a white knuckled grip on the beam as he held himself upright, and his face contorted into a concentrated gaze. Anakin flinched back, a little nervously, at the dark look on the boy. It was so out of place, and he didn't even know if the boy's normal goofy manner was capable of something so scary.

_Keetho!_ Colette's voice reverberated through Keetho's head, scared and panicked, and the boy was suddenly jumping off the fence, his legs taking him back towards the town without a word.

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><p><strong>Hmmm. So I think I've been making Anakin too nice considering the situation I've thrown him into... But I hope you guys liked it overall! We'll be getting some action on Obi-wan's part, and hopefully, just <em>hopefully<em> I'll be able to convince Colette to meet Anakin. _But_, you never know. Especially after the little ordeal she just went through and the fact that she can just be plain _stubborn_. Leave your replies, because they're what keeps me going! -Love from Jay. **


	15. Chapter 15 Finally, An Encounter

**Hey ya'll! So I promised you a bit to do more with Obi-wan, and here it is! This is a little something that a started yesterday, and finished, oh, about 30 seconds ago. :) But anyways, I hope you enjoy! The next part will be concerning Colette, because I've been trying to push her off as far as possible, but I can't do that anymore. Anyways, I hope you like!**

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><p>Obi-wan Kenobi was having a fairly easy walk.<p>

The sun was out, the path was clear, and so far, _so far_, he hadn't crossed paths with anything life threatening or covered in Separatist markings. But he _had_ spotted a couple of Keons -monkey-like possum things- some birds, and a few plants bearing edible berries (in which he had stopped to pick a couple).

So his trip so far had been seemingly easy, with absolutely no complications.

He was honestly starting to doubt what Jhar Minduon had told him. Yes, the planet was absolutely beautiful with lush forests teeming with wildlife, but he hadn't crossed any starvation-driven predators, as Jhar had put it. In fact, he hadn't crossed _anything _dangerous.

At first, Obi-wan _did_ heed the elder's words once he left his hut. He completely agreed with the man's statement about people doing whatever they had to in order to survive, so he had stayed away from the inhabitants of the town, and spent possibly up to ten extra minutes weaving himself in and out of alleys and side-streets to stay off the main roads. He avoided the Seperatist inspector, who had made a second run through the town, and he kept his head low during the whole time.

But now, out in the forest, he was seriously starting to doubt the old man.

Jhar had made it pretty clear about the ominous secrets of Serias, so Obi-wan spent a lot of his time on edge. He had kept an eye out for Slavers, and for stalking predators, but after a while of sensing absolutely nothing in the forest around him, he had started to let his guard down, and instead just _relaxed,_ and took in the moment of peace and serenity.

Stooping down, his fingers traced over the hoof-like patterns in the ground. He's been following the tracks for some time now, and judging by the thin, straight lines trailing a few feet on either side of them, he could only guess that the tracks belonged to some kind of domesticated animal. And by the freshness of them, Obi-wan got the sense that he was only a good half hour to forty-five minutes behind whatever, whoever, was also following the cleared out path.

Obi-wan tossed a couple more of the blackberries into his mouth. He stopped momentarily, and tugged out the map from his belt, holding it sideways by one of the edges. It rolled out, crinkling, and he he flipped it over his arm to use as a support since his hand was still full of the fruit.

"Where am I…?" He murmured, eyes narrowing. He was guessing that it had been at least an hour and a half since his departure, so he couldn't have gotten _too_ far. However, he was still sure he had covered a good distance.

Obi-wan sighed, realizing that at where he thought he might have been, he still had a fair amount of land to cover.

He was in the process of single handedly rolling the map back up when, breaking the total silence, a couple of twigs snapped.

Freezing, Obi-wan's eyes shot up to his surroundings as he felt for any kind of force signature near him. Of course he shouldn't have let his guard down, it was so stupid, so reckless, so… Oh.

Finally, the man spun on his heels before letting out an amused and very loud snort.

A keon looked up at him apprehensively from its spot before him on the forest floor. Jumping back from the man when he made the sudden movement, it landed on it's hind legs, it's two front ones curling up near its chest. It's head cocked to the side, eyes glowing with curiosity.

"Well, hello there." Obi-wan said gently. He bent down, pressing one knee to the ground as he tucked the remainder of the map back into his belt.

The keon raised on it's hind legs as it's small nose twitched. It hopped forward cautiously and Obi-wan suddenly realized it was after the berries clutched in his hand. He dropped them onto the ground before wiping his palms together.

The creature was small, smaller than some of the others that he had spotted earlier. But it was alone, and that's what ultimately caught the jedi's attention.

"What're you doing out here all alone?"

Obi-wan Kenobi had always gotten along better with animals than machine, whereas Anakin had always been vice versa. He spent a lot of his time with people, after all, and he had picked up on the commonalities between creatures that were, well, civilized, and those that were primitive. It was a talent almost, to understand and sympathize with creatures through the force. Anakin, on the other hand, had never picked up on anything of the sort; he preferred to tinker with machines than take the time to actually develop his force skills better.

And Obi-wan was able to deem the fact that the keon being alone was definitely _not_ a good sign.

Creatures tended to stay together; birds migrated in flocks, predators hunted in groups. People were exactly the same. And so were little monkey-like possums.

The Keon picked up a berry and stuffed it into its mouth. Obi-wan watched it with partial curiosity, his gaze somewhat distant. As the Keon stretched forward to look for more food that the human could possibly have on him, it froze, nose twitching once more as its head spun back and forth.

The man's eyes narrowed, and his senses were suddenly on high alert. The keon gave a startled screech and lept away from him, and suddenly Obi-wan was jumping into the air, the Force guiding him through the movement before he even had comprehended what he was doing.

The saber cat's muscles had tensed as it lowered itself into a crouch. The branch beneath it's paws creaked dangerously, and it waited, pupils slits, as it watched the interaction between the human and keon on the forest floor. Silently, and with the agility that only a feline predator could manage, it leaped off the branch, claws extended in deadly daggers.

To the saber cat, the two creatures that were interacting on the ground were slower than the smallest bug on the planet. So it was genuinely surprised when it's claws raked through thin air, and he landed in a loud, ungraceful, lump in the fallen leaves. A snarl left the back of its throat, and out of the corner of its eye, it saw the small keon dart out of sight and into the trees.

But that didn't matter. The saber cat had different prey in mind, and it was certainly larger than the small mammal.

Obi-wan landed nimbly in a crouch, then straightened. He watched the keon disappear into the green foliage, then turned his attention to the feline animal before him.

It was a saber cat, he quickly realized, and they were native to other planets. The difference with this one, however, was that just beneath the rippling skin and taught muscle, the outline of the creature skeletal system was poking through.

So it wasn't just a dangerous creature. It was a _starving_ dangerous creature. And those were the worst.

And talking it down was _definitely_ not going to happen.

To much of Obi-wan's ire, he realized he would just have to fight the animal, if he wanted to survive.

He fingered his lightsaber beneath the overlarge shirt. It felt warm in his palm, almost as if it were anticipating the fight ahead and was buzzing with excitement. With a flick of his wrist, it was out in front of him, the blue blade humming.

The saber cat eyed the weapon warily, not quite sure how to react. It seemed to be harmless, but then, why bring it out in the first place? Cramps clenched in it's abdomen, and the animal snarled, its mind brought back to the task at hand. It would do what it had to.

Lunging, it attacked with its head down, horn aiming directly at the human's stomach. It would gauge first, then pull up, slicing the body nearly in half. Crude and messy, but it got the job done.

Obi-wan sidestepped the large animal and backed up a few steps. Maybe he wouldn't have to the kill the animal; maybe he could just scare it off..

The saber cat slid to a halt, leaved dispersing in the air. Turning, it's muscles tensed yet again.

Obi-wan's eyes followed the feline's muscle movements, anticipating the moves. As the creature jumped forward, claws outstretched, he brought the lightsaber up. It clipped through the horn protruding from the top of its head, which dropped to the ground. The saber cat yelped, more so in surprise than actual pain. Obi-wan's brought his lightsaber hilt near his head, the blade pointing at a downward angle, as he settled into a comfortable position.

Growling in detest, the saber cat shook it's furry head, trying to accustom to the lesser weight without the horn. Sprinting forward, it watched the man jump upward, and it quickly followed its prey's path, catching the human on the leg with it's left paw. Cloth tore, blood spilled, and it watched as the human turned its fall into a roll before jumping back to its feet.

Obi-wan winced at the pain. He adjusted his weight, gripping the azure lightsaber in both his hands in a white-knuckled grip out in front of him. Well, that certainly had hurt.

The saber cat and Obi-wan met in the center of the space between them. Dodging a swiping blow directed at his head, the jedi rolled on one shoulder, coming up to catch the animal with the lightsaber on the back flank. Roaring, the animal veered around, both front paws extended as it used its back legs to lunge forward. It's left leg screamed in pain, but it ignored it, instead going to the final, and hopefully killing, blow.

Obi-wan let the force flow through him. The laser blade sliced through fur and clipped muscle, and the animal instantly retracted its right leg close to it's body. Dropping onto all fours, it paused a few feet away from the awaiting human.

The saber cat paced back and forth before the man. Maybe it had underestimated its prey. Maybe the stupid human wasn't as stupid or clumsy as it had thought. Yellow eyes blinked down at what once was its horn. Yes, it certainly underestimated it.

The keon certainly couldn't have gotten _too_ far…

Backing away, it limped, a low whimper escaping its muzzle before it could stop it. Obi-wan watched from a distance as the animal slowly made it's way back into the woods. That hadn't gone too bad, he thought.

Then the pain in his calf returned.

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><p><strong>So what'd you guys think? I hope it was okay. Poor Obi-wan, I put everyone through bad situations... Anyways, I'd really like it if you guys left me replies! -Love from Jay.<strong>


	16. Chapter 16 What Happened, Happened

**Hey, guys! So here's an update I've been working on. It's pretty long, but I hope you like it overall. There's a memory about halfway in. It's in italics, and cuts of randomly, but you'll see more of it later. Anyways, I hope you guys like it! Leave your replies, because they keep me encouraged. :) -Love from Jay.**

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><p>Colette stumbled.<p>

Her hands broke most of her fall, small beads of blood appearing on her palms from pebbles and sticks that littered the ground. She barely registered the pain before she was jumping back to her feet, tearing through the forest's underbrush.

She sprinted maybe another fifty feet before her breath finally caught and she had to stop. Bending over and resting her hands on her knees, she closed her eyes tight. Tears glimmered off her cheeks in the sunlight, and the girl was quick to swipe the back of her hand across her face.

Straightening, she breathed deeply. Her eyes were red, contrasting the darkness of her brown irises. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear just a few moments before she bent back over and let out the contents of her stomach.

She was completely disgusted with the older boy's thoughts. She had gotten glimpses of them through the Force, and what she saw made her sick to the stomach.

But what made it worse was the fact that she had used her anger to free herself.

So not only was she disgusted with Bodi, but she was disgusted with herself.

She had done what all the Masters back at the Jedi Temple had told her not to do. In her mind, she had let them down.

Master Rowane would have been disappointed with her.

Colette straightened and wrapped her shirt more tightly around her. No one had ever touched her like that. It was completely horrifying. So maybe the fact that she used her anger to control the Force was justified. Maybe, if she hadn't, she could've lost more than… well, _that. _Bodi could've killed her. She doubted he wouldn't have held back if he was giving the chance.

She stopped a sob that threatened to escape her throat. She had a near miss, and only Force knows what could've happened back there. She straightened, blinking out the sunlight. She needed to relax, she needed to sit down, meditate, and _relax._ Placing a hand over her mouth, she closed her eyes again as she realized where her feet had taken her. This was _not_ what she needed at the moment.

The larty had long since seen its glory days. Metal rusted and windows broken, it appeared to be nothing but a pile of scrap metal to any bystander. Vines and weeds had grown through any opening that could be found, including the the gaping hole in the starboard side of the ship. Colette couldn't help but walk forward, hand outstretched, and let her fingers trail alongside the charred metal. Her lower lip wobbled, and she captured it between her teeth. More tears threatened to spill.

How could she possibly relax and meditate, when her feet, her _treacherous _feet, and possibly the Force, had guided her back to the crash site?

The girl tentatively stepped through the hole. Sunlight filtered through small punctures in the ceiling, no doubt from years of sitting in the forest, completely exposed to the occasional harsh weather patterns. The durasteel at her feet was specked with rust colored patches, so Colette took her time making her way carefully through the wreckage. The ship was tilted on an angle, she quickly realized, with the starboard side cutting deep into the earth. Her footing was well placed and quiet as she slowly made her way uphill, into the front cockpit area of the ship.

The control panels lights were covered in dust and ash. A tall plant made its way through some of the wiring, coiling up through and out through what was once a transparasteel window. A clone troopers helmet was lying on the ground, the off-white color standing out against its green and grey background. Stooping, Colette picked it up and turned it over in her hands.

It was Rocky's.

The Clone Captain Rocky had been a personal friend of Colette's, even though she was just a mere, twelve year old padawan at the time. He tended to joke around, but when it came to battle strategies and warfare, he took his job seriously, becoming the stoic clone trooper that he was. He could endure anything -hard as a rock, some had said- and his nickname had all but developed from there.

Colette swiped the palm of her hand across the T-visor, dirt and grime coming off on her hand. Glancing around, she spotted the matching colored armor laying at the foot of the pilot's chair, but she couldn't bring herself to move any closer towards it.

Instead, she turned around, moving towards the back of the ship. The main hangar of the LAAT was just as littered with dirt, ash, and growing weeds as the cockpit area had been. There were a few more armored suits, along with a couple of blasters, lying scattered on the ground. From the markings on multiple helmets, she could easily identify who everyone was. She bit back a sob that wanted to leave her. She could remember everything that had happened that day perfectly; heck, she could still hear the attacking gunfire that had erupted as soon the gunship had left the safety of the hangar bay of the _Menagerie _Star Destroyer.

Colette's brown eyes drifted back to the empty helmet in her hand. She remembered the man's voice perfectly; how he sounded when he was explaining plans to his comrades, how he sounded when he was telling jokes. She remembered exactly how he had sounded over the comlink aboard the gunship, just a few moments before a blow to the left wing shook the entire gunship. It was the last, fatal blow that brought the LAAT down to the planet's welcoming embrace.

_The shields will never regenerate in time. We can't stay out here. _

Colette grabbed part of the netting that hung overhead and gave the troopers something to hold onto. With the helmet firmly held under her arm, she stepped over a flimsy piece of durasteel, which had rusted through to leave a ten to eleven in hole in diameter. Through the force, she could sense something living down there, possibly a rodent that preferred the dark confines of the ground and rotting metal.

She gingerly placed the helmet onto the floor. Sitting opposite it, she settled down into the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes focused on the T-visor one last time before her head bent to rest against her kneecaps. Within her, everything fell apart.

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><p>"<em>What do you sense, young one?"<em>

_Colette bit her lip, cocking her head to the side as she scrunched up er eyes. There he went again, her Master, asking what he knows she can't answer._

"_I'm not sure" She replied, truthfully. Her face relaxed as her eyes focused to regard her Master in front of her. Kib Rowane was sitting in a rotating chair in the bridge of the _Menagerie_, his back to the holoprojector as he talked to his padawan, who was standing opposite him. Colette placed her hands on her hips and pouted slightly. _

"_I can't do it."_

_Rowane's mouth frowned slightly. "Don't think like that. You _did _sense something, didn't you?"_

_Colette nodded, her shoulder length hair bobbing. "Yes, but…"_

"_Just describe it." He encouraged._

_Colette's eyes closed, her body relaxing as she focused on the force-signature that had caught her attention. It was something large… Something almost ominous. She couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, or what it was exactly, but there was definitely something out there._

"_It's scary, I think." She said slowly._

"_Scary how?" Rowane pressed. He didn't need her to tell him what was awaiting them on Serias; he already knew. He just wanted _her _to sense it. Through the force, the jedi could sense the frustration radiating from her like a sun does its rays. He took the younger girl's hands in his own. Hanging at her side, they had clenched into fists as she focused. She needed to relax, he thought, as his thumbs slid over her knuckles. The Force would guide them, her, if it was meant to be. She didn't need to push so hard._

_Colette shook her head, her eyes flickering open. "I'm sorry, but I can't explain it."_

_Rowane let out a sigh. Colette would get the hang of it. Perhaps with some more lessons, some more meditation…_

"_I'm sorry to interrupt, General, but we're about to come out of hyperspace. We'll be entering Serias's atmosphere momentarily."_

_Without turning to face the clone captain, Rowane nodded at Rocky's update. Instead, his dark green eyes were focused on the young girl. She had turned at the sound of Rocky's voice and smiled, pulling one of her hands free from his. Colette turned back at him, an eyebrow raised._

"_What is it we so desperately need to do on Serias?" She asked._

_Rowane bit his lip, deciding how best to explain it to the young girl. The large expanse of the technicalities of the war would go right over her head. She was too young, too... innocent. "Ever since the Battle," He bagan. "that occurred a couple of months ago, more and more planets have been swaying away from the Republic. The Separatists are gaining more and more supporters, and the Council thinks Serias may be one of them."_

"_So this is for diplomacy?" Colette's face fell slightly. The mission didn't exactly _sound_ exciting._

_The older jedi chuckled. "Yes, but don't complain, Colette. You might actually enjoy it."_

_Colette looked skeptical, but she nodded. "Okay." She exasperated. She rolled her dark brown eyes, eliciting another chuckle from the man. _

_Rowane squeezed her hand before he stood up. The _Menagerie'_s velocity had slowed down considerably, confirming their jump out of hyperspace. He moved over to the Admiral of the ship, and the pair, along with Captain Rocky, began speaking in low tones._

_Colette fingered the side seam of her tan dress. It was flowy, dropping just to her knees in small ruffles. Underneath it she wore dark brown leggings, with even darker brown boots that laced up to about mid-thigh._

_Her long robe swayed across the heels of her feet as she moved over to one of the wide windows that overlooked the hull of the Star Destroyer. Leaning against the frame, her reflection blinked back, deeply tanned skin ghostly against the blackness of space. Colette bit her lower lip, her reflection mirroring the act, before she transferred her gaze to the suddenly large planet of Serias before them._

_Rowane turned his head slightly from the conversation he was having. He had sensed Colette's curiosity the moment she had moved to the window and laid eyes on the Outer Rim planet. The older jedi's smile was imperceptible to the two men next to him. Maybe Colette _will_ find the mission interesting. _

"_It'll be dangerous." Rocky continued, helmet held under arm. _

_The Admiral nodded, his aged face turning to observe the jedi. "You still wish to proceed, even though you felt the danger?"_

_Rowane nodded. "Yes." He said. "I'm curious. I want to know why the Separatists have interest in this particular planet." His dark eyebrows furrowed. "Serias is basically in the middle of nowhere. And there aren't any valuable resources."_

"_A base, perhaps?" Suggested Rocky. "Or a droid factory?"_

"_Maybe." The jedi replied. "But it doesn't matter what we think. We're going to find out."_

_The Admiral nodded and turned to look at a datapad he had in his hand. Scrolling through a list, he stopped suddenly, then enhanced a map._

"_There's a docking bay in the mountains." He said. "We could land there."_

"_Are you going in alone, General?" Rocky asked. His eyes strayed over to Colette, who was still standing by the window. "What about her? Is she going with you?"_

_Rowane shook his head. "I don't think that'd be a good idea." He said._

_Rocky nodded and shifted his helmet from one arm to another. "Do you think any of the troopers should accompany you?"_

_The jedi nodded after a moments hesitation. "I do. The _Menagerie_ can dip into the atmosphere, and from there, we'll take a gunship."_

"_Yes, sir." Rocky said. "I'll ready the troops and the larty."_

_Rowane nodded, and the clone captain dismissed himself. _

_Colette abruptly pushed herself away from the window. "Master, what are they doing?" She asked, voice full of concern. She glanced back out through the transparasteel. A couple of ships where approaching the larger _Victory_-class Star Destroyer; some form of starfighter, by the looks of them. _

_Kib Rowane moved over to his padawan, his eyes following hers. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him expectantly. " I don't know. But I don't think it's the welcoming committee." _

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><p>Keetho didn't know what brought him out to the woods.<p>

His feet told him where to go, not his mind. Instead of making a beeline for Reigner's Inn, like he thought he should've done, the boy had found himself wandering closer and closer towards the surrounding forest. It was something in the back of his mind, perhaps. Something that just _told_ his feet to move. So he went, without question, and just _ran._

Keetho had an inkling of a feeling that Colette had to do with the matter. Over the past three years they've grown close, so close in fact, that often Colette could finish his statements, and sometimes, on rare occasions, say what he was going to say a moment before it left his lips. They shared a unique, psychic bond, but Keetho's never been able to play back on it. At least not until that moment he had heard her voice in his head.

He heard a couple of Keons high in the trees shriek at his disturbances, but Keetho continued on. His breath became heavy and labored in his chest, and a pain erupted in his side, but still, he continued on. Trees seemed to part in his way as he darted over rocks and fallen logs and dodged under low branches and tall underbrush.

Finally, he came to the beginning of an ancient clearing, and he stopped. Green eyes raked over the landscape, taking in the sudden grayness before him as he breathed in gasps of air. The oxygen began flowing back into his brain, and it was then did he actually realize where he was.

"Colette?" He called out tentatively.

No response came from the ruined gunship in front of him. He felt she was here though, and he just had to wonder: _Why?_

A smell hit him, something gross and vile. He realized it must have best the patch of tannish-grey throw-up a couple yards away from him, fresh from the smell of it, and quite frankly, disgusting.

Keetho swallowed. His breath hitched, and his eyes snapped back over to the Republican ship. Colette was in there. He could _feel_ it.

He moved quickly, jumping in through the gaping hole in the starboard side, then cautiously stepping uphill as the ship had landed diagonally. Rust and dirt and grey-white ash dusted off from where he placed his hands for balance, and he felt the ground below his feet teeter precariously.

He stopped, his eyes searching, and it became so quiet that his heartbeat could be heard pounding in his chest. He held his breath, anxious, and just waited.

A sobbing echoed from the main hangar in the back of the ship. A low choking sound that seemed as if it was trying to be smothered. That was his Colette, he realized. There was no doubt about it. She was the girl who never revealed her true emotions to anyone, save for on a few occasions, to him. She was the girl who kept pushing on.

Keetho stepped around the corroded suits of armor and stopped to stand in front of the girl. His hands were limp at his sides, fingers twitching occasionally as he debated whether to reach forward and comfort her. Finally, he slowly knelt down, and gingerly touched the back of her head.

"Colette? What happened?"

The girl in front of him, the _broken _girl curled up with her knees to her chest and arms tightly locked around them, shook her head from its bent position. Her fingers clenched, almost as if she were in a nightmare, trying to shake the monsters from her dreams. A sob shook her frame, and Keetho found himself sidling forward to lean against the wall perpendicular to her.

"Can you tell me what happened?" He repeated, slowly.

Colette's dark eyes met his, the white's red and the brown's almost black. Tears glittered off her cheeks as she opened her mouth, once, twice, before closing it again and shaking her head. Her eyes broke their contact, and she looked away.

Keetho glanced at the helmet sitting a few feet away from them, then back to her.

"Is it about this?" He asked cautiously. His eyes did another once-over with the spacious craft around them.

Colette bit her bottom lip. Her hands moved up to her face, wiping away the wetness from her face, before she laughed shakily.

"This, that, my life, everything." She said. She stopped, licking her lips before continuing. "It was my fault, you know." She said. Her eyes came back to Keetho's, and the boy couldn't help but notice the almost… _emptiness_ he found in the usual caring irises.

"How do you mean?"

"If I just hadn't _followed_ Master Rowane onto the gunship, I wouldn't be in this mess. _He_ wouldn't be dead."

"Colette, it's not your-"

The girl shook her head, urgently. "It was." She said. She rested her forehead on her kneecaps again, her voice suddenly muffled. "I followed him, after he _specifically_ said not to. I distracted him. If I hadn't been there… If I hadn't been there him and Captain Rocky would've avoided all the gunfire. They wouldn't have been distracted by me!"

Keetho reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, but Colette instantly flinched and he retracted it. She'd never been like _that_ before.

"This isn't only about the crash, though." He said.

The girl shook her head. "I'm not helpful. I'm not _useful_. All I am is a slave. And all I'm good for is cleaning and serving and getting people hurt…"

Keetho moved forward, so that he was kneeling opposite her, then reached forward to take her face in both his hands, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes danced away, panicked slightly, and she blinked multiple times.

"Colette." He said sternly, and the girl found herself looking back at him from the authority in his voice. "Colette Liahthon. You are by far, _not_ not useful in any way. I mean, who else can teach me how to fight without insulting me every few minutes? Who else can keep me company in my otherwise boring life? Who else can I unabashedly be myself around? Wait, don't answer that last one…"

Colette let out another shaky laugh, and Keetho smiled. "See? And you haven't gotten me hurt, in any way whatsoever. Well, except for right now, because seeing you like this is _killing_ me."

"But Rocky, and Master Rowane, and the people at the Slaver's Camp-"

"Don't matter." He said. "They don't matter right now. That was in the past. You need to keep moving. Carry on, eh? Like you always do?"

Colette pulled away. "I'm still a slave, though. I'll always just be a slave." Her eyes grew dark again, losing the ounce of laughter that was there about a moment ago.

Keetho scoffed. "So what, Colette? Out here, you can be… whatever! You can be whatever, _whoever_, you want to be! That's just in there." He lowered his voice and leaned forward so that his black hair was almost mingling with hers. "And I don't care that you're a slave. We were friends _long_ before all that happened. We're not going to let something like this, a little bump in the road, ruin everything."

Colette bit her lip and closed her eyes. She felt Keetho rest his forehead against hers, and she wished he would just _know_ about the rest of what was bothering her. She didn't want to tell him, she didn't want to relive it.

"Keetho." She sighed.

The boy hummed in response, and she opened his eyes to meet his grass-green ones. Suddenly, she wanted to tell him everything. Her mind went foggy, like clouds abruptly blinding her. All she could see were those eyes, those eyes that she could get lost in forever.

"Bodi." She whispered. When Keetho pulled back, confused, she closed her eyes again and the thoughts clicked back together, like a giant puzzle-board. She felt tears pricking at her eyelids, so she scrunched them, hoping that they'd go away.

"Bodi, he tried to… he tried to _touch_ me. I was so scared. I haven't felt that helpless since the Slaver's Camp, and I just couldn't… I just can't…"

Keetho pushed the hair on either side of her face behind her ears. Her normal braid had come, for the most part, loose, and large chunks were coiling down past her shoulders. He pushed the baby hairs back from her forehead, and her large brown eyes opened to watch him apprehensively.

"I didn't mean to…" She continued. "But- But, I used my anger to control the force, and I f-force-choked him, and he f-fell unconscious."

She leaned back slightly, half-expecting him to get up and leave right there, but he didn't. Instead, she felt him tipping her chin up for what seemed like the hundredth time that day to meet his eyes.

"You panicked. You were in a situation you had no control over, so you panicked. That is normal."

"But it's a way to the Dark Side!"

Keetho laughed. "That's what your worried about? Colette, you aren't _bad_! You need to know that. There isn't a single bone in your body that's bad. You did what you had to for your safety! There's nothing bad about any of that!"

"But-"

"Don't fear any of what those old quacks told you! It's when you start force-choking people on a daily basis should you actually start worrying about the Dark Side. You need to relax, Colette. The Council wouldn't put your head on a stake because you slipped up for your _safety_."

"No! It was selfish! I used the Force to my advantage." Colette argued. "I should've just let him… I mean, now I've put you in danger!"

Keetho laughed, darkly. "Bodi doesn't hold anything over me. He can do what he wants. And as for you, you just need to relax. Stop trying to convince yourself that your 'going to the Dark Side' or whatever."

Colette nodded. A couple of tears slid down her cheeks, and her lower lip wobbled slightly, but she relaxed her muscles enough for Keetho to take her hands in his. He passed his thumbs over her knuckles, an action that she found quite soothing, and her breathing slowed to a normal rate. Keetho slid to sit next to her, and she leaned against him, head on his shoulder with her legs bent over his.

"I think you need to meet that Jedi now." He said after a few minutes.

Colette laughed. "I just had a mental breakdown, and your trying to get me to meet a jedi. That's _so_ you, Keetho."

The boy smiled, his hand resting on her back. "Yep. But, I'm just trying to help."

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><p><strong>So how was that? Keetho is so adorable, he's probably my favourite character to write about. Well, my favourite character that's my own. And poor Colette. I keep torturing her. Anyways, I hope you liked it! Leave your replies, and thanks for sticking with me! -Love from Jay.<strong>


	17. Chapter 17 And It's All Bad

**Hey guys! Sorry I went all AWOL on you. But this week has been _frantic_ with school. I have an idea of where this is going to go, thanks to a miraculous revelation in the shower. :) I'm sorry if the beginning is a tad boring, but it'll pick up real quick. So, I hope you enjoy. :) -Love from Jay.**

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><p>The boy had disappeared in a rush, leaving a somewhat baffled Anakin Skywalker. He had debated following him, but the look he had had on his face rooted him to his spot sitting atop the fence. He knew something was wrong, anyone could sense <em>that<em> by the abrupt change in his aura. But what had ultimately stopped Anakin was how he had reacted, panic and anger flooding all other emotions. A protective wave had instantly hit Anakin after that, so the older man had deemed that whatever happened within the span of a few minutes, it was Keetho's situation to deal with by himself.

Anakin adjusted his position. The Duncow, Bessi, had at one point stopped nudging him in the leg as she demanded his attention, and instead, with an almost rejected look in her eye, bent her head to graze the grass at the base of the wooden fence. Anakin shifted his feet, eliciting a glance from the creature, before it turned back to its grazing.

The jedi's fingers absently danced across his comlink. He hadn't figured out what was wrong with the device, or possibly, what was wrong with _Obi-wan's_, but it was at least worthy of looking into.

He sighed and jumped down from his perch. Working on his comlink would be good; he always relaxed when he was around machines; both Ahsoka and Obi-wan had been obviously blatant in the past telling him that. The whirring and clicking of gears always had calmed his mind, and he didn't have a single memory of him doing anything otherwise to alleviate agitation. Even at Watto's shop, when he wasn't running errands or repairing gadgets, he was tinkering… _inventing_. His mind could run free when he was doing just that, he was in that world between reality and fantasy.

So it would be good to work on the comlink. If he figured out what was wrong, he could probably fix it. He could locate Obi-wan, and possibly call Ahsoka back on the _Resolute_.

Besides, he had a lot to think about.

He had to start figuring out the tabs that the denizens of Serias have been creating in his mind.

Like the comlink, he would figure them out. All it took was a few tools and some tinkering.

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><p>Obi-wan's hand fluttered to his leg, and he removed his fingers covered in blood.<p>

Not bothering to find a rock or fallen log, he sat down where he was, one hand pressed to the wound, the other detangling the straps to the bag Jhar Minduon had given him. His fingertips brushed past some preserved foods and a pair of clean clothes before his hand grasped around the lid to a bottle that he hoped would be either pain killers or some kind of bacta.

It was the latter he soon discovered, and ripping off a section from his overlarge shirt, he began to dab at the flowing blood, a pained grown eliciting from his lips.

He had come off pretty lucky, he thought. He still had his leg, and he only had _one_ attention-worthy injury. And just hopefully, Anakin was in a better state.

But of course, he would have sensed a tug in the Force had something been off with his former padawan. Their bond was strong, and to Obi-wan it seemed to grow even stronger with their deprived company of each other. However, he still worried about the younger man; face it, Anakin was reckless, and… unpredictable, but that sense of worry and concern helped strengthen the bond. It helped them _connect_.

And a part of Obi-wan hoped that Anakin was realizing this too. That between the strong barriers and secretive thoughts and emotions, he was opened up enough to sense what the Jedi Master sensed.

Hissing between teeth, Obi-wan's attention was drawn back to his calf. He'd be able to keep moving, he realized, but it would be at a considerably slower pace. He smeared a small blot of gel-like bacta across the torn flesh, suddenly relishing in the coolness it provided.

Anakin would have to survive on his own for another couple of hours. Surely, he couldn't get himself into _too_ much trouble in that time.

Wiping the remainder of the medicine on his hand across his trousers, Obi-wan closed the lid and slipped it back into the bag. His fingers brushed once more against the preserved jars of food, and he found himself pulling the container out to look at it. A thick eyebrow quirked as he read over the label.

Well, if he needed to wait a few minutes to regain his composure, it couldn't hurt to have a bite to eat, right?

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><p>"You realize your going to have to go back, right?" Keetho asked, rather gently.<p>

Colette nodded her head. Releasing one hand from her two-handed death grip on Keetho's arm, she pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, her eyes momentarily dropping down to the leafy ground.

"Yeah, I know." She said softly, feeling she needed to say it out loud to confirm the fact in her head.

Keetho squeezed her hand at the insecurity and uncertainty hidden deep in her voice. Biting his lip, he turned his gaze to the surrounding forest. He had easily guided her out of the ship into the open, but the harder part would be taking her back to the town. He could delay the process, though, if he took her back to his farm, back to Anakin.

Yet, he wasn't sure how she would handle that. Colette was currently shaken and distressed, the confident glisten in her dark eyes having vanished within the few hours of the morning. She had been fine last night, and all it took was Bodi to… to well… _break _the spirits Colette had kept over the years.

"Keetho?"

"Yeah?"

Colette flexed her fingers in his hand, and Keetho realized he had been gripping her hand back, rather tightly, and his friend was losing the feeling in her fingers. Sliding his thumb over her knuckles, he turned back to the general direction of his home.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?"

Despite being the one who pushed Colette into the decision that would forever change her life, he was now having his doubts. With her in her current state, she could seriously mess up any chances of having her old life back. And he couldn't stay glued to her side forever, however much he wanted to. And he _really_ wanted to. She could be leaving soon…

Colette nodded and licked her cracked lips. "I don't want to go back to the village. I'll have to face Taaryn, and Bodi. I don't want to face them. I could be sent back to the Slaver Camp, Keetho. I don't know if I could go through that again."

The desperation in her voice had the boy pulling her hand closer to his body. As she slipped into step right beside him, he threw an arm around her waist and squeezed gently.

"I'm not gonna let that happen, Colette, I promise you."

The girl forced a smile, then dropped her gaze once more to the ground.

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><p>Keetho sighed in relief when they arrived at the edge of the woods. He was about to cross the street when he heard the buzzing of a speeder, and he and Colette dropped behind the bushes in practice routine.<p>

"What're they doing out here?" He whispered frantically. "They shouldn't be this far out of town!"

The speeder flew by, its occupants barely visibly from their viewpoint on the ground. Colette's vision was blurred by the strands of hair that whirred around her face as the air kicked up, and she glanced at Keetho nervously. The speeder pulled up front to the little cottage, then four persons stepped onto the ground before striding to the front door.

Keetho shouted as the door was busted down, and Colette started after the sprinting boy. Yelling over his shoulder, he told her to stay down, an effort which took her bickering conscience a few moments to decide on. Backtracking her path, she ducked back behind the bushes, waiting anxiously from her vigil to find out what was going on.

Keetho ran on adrenaline, his muscles flexing comfortably as he urged himself to move farther faster. He jumped over some flowers planted out front then skidded to a halt in the open doorway. His mother was backed up against the countertop, a towel clenched between her shaking hands. When her green eyes landed on Keetho she gestured for him to come to her, which he did, taking one of her cool hands in his own.

"What's happening?" He whispered urgently. Despite the frightened lady, the smashed open door, a few misplaced belongings scattered on the ground, and the two Seppers standing in the living room poking at items with their guns, there was no sign of the other two intruders he had seen just a few minutes earlier.

"I don't know." Simore whispered back quickly, her voice cracking in her urgent tone. "I was just cleaning the dishes, and they tore through here. The two droids were going on about something with slaves, and the man and boy asked me about Colette. I told them she hasn't been here in years, but they didn't believe me. They're searching the house." Her voice dropped to an even lower whisper before she asked, "What have you done, Keetho?"

"Me?!" He yelped, stepping back. "I didn't do anything, Mom!"

"Your not hiding her in the barn, I hope. Do you have any idea how much trouble we'll get in?" Simore asked.

"I'm not hiding Colette!" He said. "And as for the barn, there's only a few duncows, and…"

"And?"

"Crap. Anakin."

"Anakin? Who's Ana…"

Boot steps on the ladder had Keetho sending his mother a warning glance before spinning around to face the intruders. He stepped protectively in front of the woman as he moved forward.

"Can I help you with anything?" He asked, not bothering to hide the tone of annoyance.

A man of about forty looked down at his from his tall stature. His head was clean shaven, except for a shadow of stubble across his jawline. Red and orange robes dropped to mid-thigh over his dark pants, and an even darker pair of red boots finished the outfit. Keetho recognized him as the local tax collector and Separatist inspector.

"We're looking for a missing slave." He said. "A girl. Named Colette." He glanced around the small, open-planned house, as if expecting the person in question would give themselves up then and there. "I have reports that she's seen with you quite a lot."

Keetho looked past the tall man, and his eyes fell on Bodi. They glared at each other, stark green orbs never wavering from the dark brown ones. "I do see her a lot, but I can assure you she isn't here."

"Right." Bodi said, rolling his eyes. "'Cuz she wouldn't come to her only friend."

"She's smart." Keetho snapped. "She knows how to handle herself. And she know's it'd be stupid to come to me." He moved closer to the older boy, his eyes hardening. The inspector rested a hand on his blaster grip as he waited for the erupting feud, but the teen barely acknowledged the movement. "You underestimate Colette."

Simore, wide-eyed, caught the gesture the inspector made. Leaving the towel on the countertop, she stepped forward to her glowering son. Grabbing his upper arm, she pulled him back against her protectively. "You'll have to excuse him." She said, squeezing his arm in warning. When he glanced at her, she continued. "But my son's telling you the truth. She's not here. I haven't seen her in years."

The man inspected the two, then he waved off the droids who were still poking around the house. His hand fell from the grip to rest at his side, and Simore visibly relaxed. "We'll check the barn first." He said gruffly. "Then perhaps we'll be able to leave with minimal damage."

Simore nodded acutely. The inspector turned to leave behind the droids, but Bodi hung around. Pacing around the large room, he glanced over it's contents, his index and middle finger casually sliding over some of the furniture.

He smirked over his shoulder, and Keetho had to quell the sudden urge to jump him right there. It was all his fault. He brought them into all of this. He hurt Colette.

"You might wanna tell the little girl to be more careful next time." He said. Bodi paused in the doorway, one hand resting on the frame. "She messed up today, and it might be in her best interest to know where she belongs. That little secret she's keeping? Yeah, it just might slip by my lips if she steps out of line."

Keetho's hands balled into fists at his side, and Simore gently placed her's around his shoulder.

"You might want to be cautious with your actions, Bodi." He said back with just as much authority. "Your treading on glass."

The older boy nodded, taking in his words. "We'll see about that." He said. Another smirk played along his lips, and as if on cue, there was an audible _crash_ coming from the backyard.

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><p><strong>Sorry, I just thought this'd be a good place to stop. But see...? The drama and anticipation is starting to pick up. :) I hope you guys liked! Thanks for the wonderful comments, likes, alerts, follows, whatev :) It really means a lot to know that I had readers who like my stories. Anyways, I'll see about updating a new chapter soon, but I'll have to work around school. :) Thanks again! -Love from Jay.<strong>


	18. Chapter 18 When You Play With Fire

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for the lovely comments! I know it's been a while, but heres the next chapter. I was having so many problems as to how to go about this, but I'm pretty happy about how this came out. Sorry if it seems a bit choppy, but I was trying to get a lot in. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! I can't wait to hear what you think. :) -Love from Jay.**

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><p>"Keetho!"<p>

Spinning around, the boy acknowledged his mother, whose gaze was switching periodically between the window to the backyard and him. He moved over to her side, freezing in his tracks when he saw the thick black column of smoke beginning to raise from the barn. His eyes hardened well they fell on the Inspector slowly backing away from the building, shaved head turned upwards as he too, watched the quickly appearing smoke.

Keetho looked over his shoulder, mouth open in irritation, but the teenage boy he was just moments ago talking to was already gone.

"I've gotta stop it." He said, glancing back at his mother, then at the arising fire pointedly.

"No." She protested weakly. Grabbing his hand in both of hers, Simore tried to hold her son close to her, but the boy pulled back, shaking his head.

"We can't let the Separatists do this, mom. I need to stop it."

Keetho continued to take multiple steps back, then he turned to leave. He had one foot out the door when his mother's voice stopped him. He waited, listening patiently to his her futile endeavors to protect him.

"You'll put us in more danger, Keetho." She pleaded. "Let them do what they want, it'll only get us into trouble."

"Any more trouble than this?" He asked incredulously, his anger flaring suddenly. Turning to face her, he waved his hands around in emphasis. "The barn will burn down, the animals will be injured… That's our life right there, mom; we can't lose it."

"Keetho-"

"No." He said firmly, cutting across her. Turning abruptly, he stormed outside and around the side of the house. He felt adrenaline pumping through his body, and his steady heartbeat was pounding through his head. His mind fuzzy, he scooped down to pick up a rock. Images and memories surfaced in his mind, nourishing his anger further, and his grip tightened on the cool stone cradled in his palm. It was an assurance, in a way; he was actually going to go through with this. He would do this for them. He do it for Colette, for the town, for everything that the planet has ever endured at the hands of the Separatists. With the inspector in his sights from the edge of the house, he was genuinely startled when two hands wrapped around his body and jerked him back, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Grunting, he fought at the restrictions. One gloved hand covered his mouth, making it somewhat hard to breath, and the other tightened painfully around the wrist holding the rock. Keetho felt it slip from his fingers, then heard the thump as it hit the ground. Slowly, as his struggles lessened, he felt the pressure ease up, and the hand over his mouth disappeared and Anakin swam into his line of sight.

"What are you doing?" Keetho snapped. He pulled his hand out of the latter's grasp, rubbing at the quickly bruising skin. Glaring up at the jedi, he stared into his blue eyes as he fought his end of the battle.

"Keeping you from getting killed, kid." Anakin replied. His tone was harsh, disapproving, but Keetho's mind was too foggy to administer any of it. Casting his glaring green eyes away, he searched for the fist sized rock on the ground.

"You hurt that Inspector any way, and he'll be sure to get back at you and your mother." Anakin grabbed the boy's shoulders and forced him to make eye contact. "You're not thinking clearly right now. You need to focus and relax."

"Me?" He asked, laughing, and the jedi retracted slightly at the note of hysteria. "Aren't you a warrior of the Republic? Shouldn't _you_ be the one leading an attack on people like them? _Preventing_ them from doing things like this?"

Anakin visibly inhaled and held his breath. Releasing the boy reluctantly, Keetho took the momentary pause to shake out his arms and flex his shoulders. Eye contact broke briefly, and when his glaring gaze met back up with the jedi's, the emotions there startled him.

Understanding, remorse,_ sympathy_.

"I know." Anakin said, at last. He brought a gloved hand up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. Scrunching his eyes closed, he continued: "But you need to understand when and where the right time for an attack is. You have no advantage here, so now is not the right time."

"But-"

A glaring glance from the jedi had the younger closing his mouth. He nodded, solemnly, sparing a look at the back of the retreating figure of the Inspector. He waited, seconds, minutes -though it felt longer, until the man disappeared from his line of sight, then he finally turned back to Anakin, who was waiting patiently for his attention.

"Good." Anakin muttered. He watched the red recede from the younger's face, and his eyes lightened slightly. He nodded in approval and Keetho huffed disdainfully in response. "Now that you're back, we can focus on the barn."

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><p>Colette's vigil was slow.<p>

She waited, knees pressed into the cool ground, hands parting branches and leaves, as her brown eyes stared unblinkingly at the house across the street. Figures swam in and out of sight, and she was starting to lose her patience when she suddenly heard a _crash_ coming from the backyard. Saw spotted Keetho running around the side of the house, but she couldn't see anything afterwards, so she straightened, arching her neck to look over the bush she was hiding behind.

The Inspector came into view, and it only took a few minutes for him to jump in his speeder and ride off. As the vehicle whizzed by, she spotted Bodi sitting in the passenger seat, and her stomach couldn't help but lurch uncomfortably. _So this was about her_, she ascertained.

Glancing back at the house, the girl started as a column of smoke became visible from behind Keetho's house. And from what she could tell, he hadn't come back after his walk back there…

Both of the unwanted visitors had left, so there wasn't any present danger, right? What would be the harm in checking it out? Besides, Keetho could be hurt, and she would never forgive herself knowing that there was something she could have done.

So, steering herself, she stood, bracing for the worse, then sprinted out of the safety of the woods to the neighboring homesite.

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><p>A couple of bandage's later, and half a bottle of bacta used, Obi-wan found himself once more traveling along the slightly used pathways and roads linking the towns on Serias. He spent most of the morning walking, but once, he id come across a small creek at which he stopped to rest. It was falling into late morning, and Obi-wan was seriously starting to wonder whether he was still heading in the right direction.<p>

He managed to free the map from the knapsack's confining grip. Rolling it open, he tried to at least assume where his current position was. He was making fair distance, he hoped, so it couldn't be too long until he reached the town Mindoun told him about.

The creek was marked with a thin blue line the ran perpendicular to the path between the two towns. If he followed it west, it drained into a river; to the east, lakes. And thankfully, it seemed to be a marker for about three-fourths of the trip.

He could push on a little longer, he decided. His leg still hurt, and he was limping every other step, but it would hold. Besides, when he found Anakin he could worry more about himself.

Reluctantly, he stood up from the rock he was resting on. It wouldn't do any good just sitting around, he might as well keep moving.

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><p>Colette vaguely heard a woman's voice call out to her as she flew past the house. Stopping when the barn came into sight, she squinted at the fire, searching futilely for Keetho.<p>

Another shout came from the house, her name distinctly ringing out. Moving closer to the window, she saw two of the windowpanes slide to the side, then Simore's face came out of the dark interior.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed.

Startled, Colette took a step back from the vicious woman. Simore was usually so… level-headed, not like this. Seeming to sense the fear she instilled, the woman calmed slightly, but the harshness in her voice was still present.

"I wasn't expecting you to show up." She stated. "But I should have known you were around." Sudden tears took over. "Keetho speaks about you all the time… He's become… I couldn't stop him." Growing desperate, she swallowed thickly, then tilted her head in the direction of the barn. "Get him out of there."

Colette nodded numbly, and her head swiveled to face the flaming barn. Simore stopped her though, when she spoke out, her voice low and cracked. "I don't want you to come around here anymore. I want you gone, and to stay away from my son."

Colette felt her heart break at this statement. She nodded again, even more numbly, and gave a slight bow. The woman was right. It was probably for the best if she left them alone.

Simore acknowledged the sign of respect with a slight tilt of the head before she pulled the windowpanes back into place. Colette turned, and with her mind a blank void, she sprinted towards the burning building.

The water trough creaked on its hinges, before breaking off completely and elevating into the air. A few feet away, Anakin stood in the open back door, hand outstretched as the water filled container floated towards him. Behind him, Keetho dumped yet another bucket of water into one of the stalls.

He vaguely heard the the front doors being slid open, and after dumping the water trough against part of the wall, he dropped the empty container on the ground. Bringing his hand up to his face, he covered his mouth and nose as he squinted to try and see what was going on through the dense smoke.

Keetho was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug, and the bucket hit the ground about a second later. Retracting, Colette held him at arms length, looking over his soot covered face, singed hair, and darkened clothing.

"We can't stay in here." She said, or rather shouted, over the crackling noises. "Your mom wants you safe, and I promised her I'd get you out."

"I can't leave, Colette!" Keetho said suddenly, shaking his head. "I won't let this happen."

Behind them, part of the roof caved in, flaming wood piling up in front of the sliding doors Colette had entered through. Sparks flew, and they both ducked under the rising heat. Keetho met his friends desperate gaze, eyes glowing orange as they reflected the fire.

"Your going to get yourself killed!" She shouted. One hand went up to her mouth, and she started coughing. The smoke had begun to thicken, and they both had to duck lower to stay under it. "The rest of the roof will cave," She said between breaths. "and we can't do anything about it."

Keetho tried to shake his head, but the girl's grip on his arm was strong, and he felt obliged to do as she said. But this was his mother's livelihood. The barn would take months, possibly _years_ to rebuild, and they couldn't afford it.

"Please, Keetho." She said. "We can't stay in here. It's too dangerous."

Reluctantly, the boy nodded. He looked in the general direction of the remaining exit, towards Anakin, then back to Colette. "This way." He said.

Colette let him pull her too her feet, and they both ran, heads bent, towards the sliver of daylight peaking through the red and orange flames. Behind them, more wood crashed to the ground, and Colette could feel some of the embers spraying onto the back of her calves and ankles, burning through the fabric scraps. She pushed into Keetho's back, urging him to go faster.

They dodged past Anakin's figure, who quickly jumped onto their tail. The loft above them cracked, boards and rafters freeing themselves from their restraints, and they started to freefall…

Both Anakin's and Colette's hand shot out, freezing the boards in place, holding the burning material at bay. At first the jedi looked shocked, but the girl wasn't paying any attention to him. She just stopped, hand outstretched, as she looked up through the eye-watering smoke. Keetho pulled at her and she looked between the falling debris and her friend multiple times.

Anakin ran a few steps further, then let his end of the boards go. They fell, crashing to the ground in sparks, and he shoved both of the teens out of the barn before her end fell too.

The three of them tumbled to the ground, coughing and sputtering. The remainder of the barn caved inward, sending a cloud of smoke, ash, and embers into the air and raining down on them. They waited for a few minutes, each staring at the flaming death trap, and from between them, Anakin fell onto his back, closing his eyes and groaning.

"You okay?" Keetho asked lightly.

"Just great." Anakin replied. Removing one of his gloves, his flesh hand came up to rub his eyes. "I'm just great, kid."

"Keetho?" Colette asked quietly.

The boy glanced over at her from his spot on the grass, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was straightening herself, staring wide-eyed down at the Anakin laying between them.

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><p><strong>So I'm just gonna leave it there. I'll get more into their meeting later. :) Feel free to leave replies! I really appreciate them. -Love from Jay.<strong>


	19. Chapter 19 They Don't Like To Be Wrong

**Hey guys! I know its a **_**tad**_** late, but I thought this would be a nice little part to have up around Christmas. I know I haven't updated in a while, but life has been absolutely crazy. But I'm here now, right? So here's the next little part! Love from Jay 3**

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><p>Anakin must have sensed the awkward silence.<p>

The jedi sat up, returning his soot-covered glove to his hand before casting an azure gaze to the girl sitting on his left. When deep brown eyes met questioning blue ones, she glanced away, instead looking over his shoulder at Keetho.

Surprise. Wonderment. Then _fear._

She had recognized him no doubt, but the emotions playing out over her face weren't those that Anakin was expecting. Relief, possibly? Curiosity? Those would have been more understandable.

But _fear_?

And he could feel it in the Force too. Her signature had darkened, flashed with anxiety and trepidation. It felt familiar in a way, with the reins of emotion pulled taught and under control. He knew who she was -he had known since she first appeared in the building- but he would much rather hear the boy's introduction first.

So instead he looked over at the younger.

Straightening, Keetho tried to muster all the dignity he could while being covered in soot and ash. Shaking his long hair out of his eyes, he held one hand out to help his friend up. She struggled to her feet, pushing off the ground with a hand wrapped in a splint and bandages. Anakin had a strange feeling he knew where that had come from.

"Um, Colette." Keetho dropped her other hand and gestured towards Anakin, who found himself subconsciously standing up. Brushing off his trouser legs, he glanced between the two teens under his brow, pausing when Colette grabbed the boy's hand and whispered urgently into his ear. Keetho's eyebrows shot up, and Anakin slowed his ministrations, curious as to the affair going on between them.

"Are you sure?" Keetho asked quietly. His green eyes flickered over to Anakin, then back to her.

Colette nodded. She too glanced over to the jedi, but when they made eye contact, she broke away hastily, her gaze instead settling at a point over his shoulder.

"Right, uh," Keetho looked suddenly awkward. "Anakin this is my friend Colette, and Colette this is, as you apparently already know, Anakin Skywalker. "

"Master."

The formality caught him slightly off guard, and the jedi found himself only nodding. "Padawan." He murmured in return.

Her Force-signature changed then, but he decided against saying anything. She seemed embarrassed, if that was possible, or maybe even ashamed. She only bowed slightly, keeping her head high but her gaze affixed once more to the spot over his shoulder.

The Jedi Knight was going to say something in response, but that was precisely when the sudden roaring of machine caught them all off guard. Keetho sprinted away, peeking out from around the side of the house, and both of the jedi picked up on the filthy string of curse words that left his mouth.

"More seppies. _Why_ are there more seppies?" He whined as he returned to their sides.

Colette opened her mouth, but was cut over when Anakin spoke. "They're here because of the resistance put up. And the fact that they were _wrong_. They don't like being wrong, so they're probably here to burn the rest of the house." When Keetho sent a startled and confused look, Anakin shrugged. "I heard you talking to the Inspector from under the windowsill. But anyways, they probably want to arrest you and and your mother for allegedly hiding a runaway slave."

At the last words, Anakin saw Colette's hands come up to her face as she dug the heels of her palms into her closed eyes. She let out a low groan before her face reappeared, already slightly wet from escaping tears. "I'm _so_ sorry, Keetho. This is all my fault. I never should have left the tavern, I just didn't think."

"I'd have much rather wanted you to leave than to stay there." Keetho put a reassuring hand on her arm which was still slightly raised to her face. She nodded, slowly, and placed her hand over top of his. Anakin could sense the rest of a conversation take place between them, but decided to only awkwardly clear his throat.

"We should move." He said. "I'll take Colette to the woods, and you need to stay with your mother." At the beginning of Keetho's protest Anakin continued hastily. "If you vanish now, then they'll _know_ something's wrong."

Glancing over to Colette, Keetho nodded. "Fine." He said reluctantly. He turned to the house, but was abruptly pulled back around by Colette. The next thing he knew was her arms around his neck as she whispered into his ear.

"I'll see you later. Don't do anything stupid."

Her thick black hair framing her face tickled against his cheek. He nodded, numbly, before hugging her back around her waist, his arms constricting momentarily. "Me? You don't do anything stupid."

He felt her scoff against his own hair at that, before she gently pushed him back. "And be careful." He added.

Colette felt Anakin's force signature start to move away from them. She nodded one more time to Keetho, then turned around and followed the older man away from the doomed farm.

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><p>"Keetho hasn't told me much about who he had run into, other than that it was someone from the Jedi Order." Walking through the woods, Colette risked a look up at Anakin as she jumped over a fallen log. "But, I never would have imagined -if I may say- that it would be <em>you<em>."

Anakin smiled a little at that. "Yeah, I never really thought I'd be stranded on an Outer Rim planet for another good, oh couple of months."

He saw the ghost of a smile flicker across the girl's face. "So then, what _are_ you doing here?"

Anakin pursed his lips and slid the palms of his dirty hands across his thighs. He looked up towards the bright blue sky painted with white clouds, and it seemed to wink in mockery down at him. He sighed, biting a thin lip momentarily before he concluded that it was no harm to tell her the truth. "Obi-wan and I were sent here to investigate a Separatist threat." He began. "Our ships were caught in these tractor beams created by a satellite belt, and we crashed here yesterday. We were split up though, so I haven't seen him since."

Colette's mouth dropped open slightly and she stopped in her tracks. "You mean Master Kenobi is here _too_?"

"Yeah, somewhere." Anakin nodded. "You know he actually was the one who wanted to take on this mission. I guess he knew Master Rowane."

Colette seemed to deflate at that, but he didn't know why. Casting a long look at the girl, he waited patiently to see if she would continue. Sensing his scrutiny, she blushed and looked away even more as she began to walk again. "He spoke about him sometimes." She replied quietly. She hesitated momentarily, opening and closing her mouth many times as she thought over her words. "And I saw them talking too." Her voice grew softer. "About me."

When she suddenly stopped talking, Anakin knew she was withholding information. He flashed her an instantaneous cheeky smirk to lighten her despondent tone. "Yeah well Obi-Wan had to train _me_. He had no guidance whatsoever and I wasn't exactly the most… cooperative… padawan." He leaned over, trying to get into her line of sight. When her dark brown eyes met his, he continued. "And don't take that as something bad. You must have meant a lot to him for him to go out of his way to talk to Obi-wan. He must not have wanted to screw you up, so he was going to Obi-wan for advice."

There was a lot of sadness in the jedi's azure eyes, Colette sensed, a lot of hidden meaning. She only nodded slowly, and when the gesture was returned she once more glanced away.

"So you have _no_ idea where he might be?"

Anakin shook his head. Sticking his gloved hand into his side pocket, he pulled out a comlink, tangled wiring hanging loose. Colette's dark eyes squinted at it before she cautiously took it out of his hand.

"Is it yours that wasn't working? Or his?"

"Mine." said Anakin. "It was fried in the crash. And probably his too."

"Im rubbish with technology." Colette replied ashamedly. "But I've heard you're not." She handed it back to him.

He took it, slowly, and she saw a cocky grin flash across his face. "I'll be able to fix it, but it'd be completely useless if Obi-wan's doesn't work."

"But you'd be able to comm your ship." Colette supplied after a moment. "If it's within distance that is."

Anakin nodded. "Probably, but I'm not sure. The _Resolute_'s not exactly in the atmosphere, but I'd still rather hold onto it though." Flipping it into the air, he pocketed the technology once more.

"I'm sure you'll see him again." Colette said. "Master Kenobi, I mean." She pushed aside some underbrush catching on her pant leg.

"Yeah, well what makes you so sure?"

Colette shrugged. "You're you I guess." Blushing furiously at his questioning and humored gaze, she hurried on. "I mean your a Jedi Knight and Master Kenobi's well, a Master. A little forest isn't going to stop two of the most famous Jedi."

"And what about you." Anakin asked. "Didn't a little forest stop you?"

Colette shrugged. Stepping onto a rock, she paused, waiting for the older man to catch up. "I was twelve. And Master Rowane had just died. I did my best, but after the Slaver's Camp…" She broke off and bit her lip. "Well, you can probably guess."

Anakin nodded. "I understand."

"Here we are." Colette said abruptly, catching the older man off guard. "No one's been here since the crash. Well, no one other than me and Keetho." She held out her arm, gesturing to a precarious looking larty ship tilted at an angle. Quirking an eyebrow, he scoured the ruins with a practiced eye.

"The parts you might need to fix the comlink would be in there." Colette said. "Scavengers and Separatists picked at it right after the crash, but everything's mostly still there. It's just not flyable."

"Thanks." Anakin said. He was about to fish out the comlink once more when he paused, looking at the girl. She was looking back over her shoulder.

"I need to get something." She said, her voice slightly muffled. "But I'll be back."

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><p><strong>Gosh, I hope that was somewhat decent. This chapter will probably end up rewritten sometime, despite being rewritten about a hundred times already. And I'm sorry it's kind of fast-paced, but I'm trying to move the plot along a little faster. Anyway, you know the drill. Review please! -Love from Jay<strong>


	20. Chapter 20 A Guide

**Hey guys, so I know it's been _so long_. But I've had a few one-shots swirling around in my mind and I felt that _Burning Rays_ deserved to be updated. So here's the next part for any darling readers who are still out there.**

*******I also wanna tell you that I have a new story up and running, called _Ricochet_ (It's in the SW section, not The Clone Wars, though i've contemplated moving it) but I need YOUR opinions in order for me to decide to continue it or not. Just a little yay or nay at the end of the story to indicate interest would be helpful. Thanks!*******

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><p>Thank you,<p>

Love, from Jay.

She had a chance.

She could leave Serias.

An actual, probable, _chance _to be free.

Colette's speed picked up. She tore through the forest, nimbly launching herself over underbrush and ducking under overhang. Her excitement and anxiety pushed her forward. Once the Jedi were reunited, she would be able to leave.

The forest passed around her in a green and brown blur. Her apprehension was gone. Keetho was right. She needed this. She didn't belong on the planet, hidden away in an obscure, mundane tavern.

She had to admit, she had been honestly petrified to meet the Jedi. To meet _Anakin Skywalker_, although unbeknownst beforehand. She hadn't known what to say or how to act, and upon meeting him, and tendril of an idea vanished. The aura he gave off was powerful, breathtaking even, despite the situation they were all in. She sensed wisps of darkness threaded within that aura, a _familiar_ darkness may she add, vacillating between being present and evanescent. When he had spoken alone with her in the woods however, and her attention diverged, he gave off an understandable, even relatable air.

It had probably just been her being in the presence of another Force sensitive after all the years of isolation. The overwhelming sensation of another form connecting with and sharing the Force was, well overwhelming, though it was something she had really missed. It reminded her of the connection (however small and fragile) she had had with her Master, and the connection between her Master and the Force.

Her mind and emotions were all over the place. The last few days had been hectic to a point of unbelievability. So much was changing in so little time, and something told her that things would continue to change within the next few. She had to stick to the woods, moreover with Skywalker. She would be safest at his side.

A pang of guilt hit her full in the stomach. How could she be thinking those selfish thoughts? She couldn't put her safety on him. She couldn't make him bear that responsibility. Maybe she didn't belong with the Jedi. Maybe it was the will of the Force that she remain where she was…

To a fleeting sense of disbelief, her foot caught on a root, and she suddenly found herself tumbling forward. Pulling limbs closer to her body, she rolled the fall out, slowing down enough to stop herself on her hands and knees. A sob escaped her throat.

She was so confused.

Her body was sore, worn thin like her mind. Leaning back to sit at a kneel, both hands came up and tangled in her dark hair.

What was she doing?

Keetho and his mother were in so much trouble already. If she showed herself in the village, who knows what would break out. Bodi would attack her. Taaryn would attack her.

She could be branded as a runaway slave, and she would be killed on sight or turned back in to the Slaver's Camp to be dealt with and resold there.

A sudden breeze danced around her body, blowing loose strands of hair in her face. Muscles relaxed and thoughts cleared. She straightened, abruptly swiping at her cheeks and forced herself to stand up. She would at least finish what she was doing before breaking down completely.

She pushed herself to start running again, and the pain growing in her throat from labored breathing felt like a relief, a small point of focus to help her push herself even harder. The tree-line broke as she continued running. The tavern was just in front of her, with its back door beckoning her to finish out those last few steps…

Her room was exactly as she left it: barren and slightly lived-in. The trunk was flung open, and the girl anxiously dug through the contents of it before her hands came in contact with two cool cylindrical items. She pulled the lightsabers out, bringing them close to her chest.

She left both her door and the back door open, not caring enough if anyone noticed. Making her way back into the woods where she had tripped, Colette sat down, crossing her legs in front of her and placing the lightsabers on the ground. It may not have been the time or place, but she needed answers. Desperately.

Colette fitted her hands together in her lap. Closing her eyes, she dimmed all senses, evicting her surroundings from her consciousness.

The weapons in front of her shuddered, stopping just as quickly as it started and instead slowly raised in the air to stop at eye level. Rotating in a circle, they were the only items on the girl's mind.

"Please, I need help."

She didn't expect an answer. She had tried meditating before. Tried releasing her feelings into the Force like Master Rowane had taught her. She even attempted contacting him, secretly hoping he had become a Force ghost. All her attempts had been fruitless however, and she had given up after her experience at the Slaver's Camp.

"Colette"

The lightsabers faltered in their grip in the Force, and Colette's eyes snapped open. The grayish haze in front of her swirled and furled in clumpy patterns, seeming to be waiting for a response from the girl. Colette in turn opened and closed her mouth several times.

"Yes?" She replied, albeit hesitantly.

The haze shifted, dimmed, and in it's place her master stood, or actually, floated.

Colette's first instinct was to reach out for contact. Rowane stayed where he was, though a hand raised to stop her movements. She slowly retracted her hand and linked it back with her other one.

"Master." Tears were brimming in her eyes. She blinked them away, quickly, in fear of losing her beloved Master at any moment. He smiled at her gently, an ancient, sorrowful smile, and waited.

"I don't know what to do." She whispered.

"You have lost yourself, young one."

Colette nodded. That was all she could do. Her hands tangled and untangled together in her lap, fidgeting with her tunic, playing with her pant leg.

"H-How could I have lost myself, when I don't feel like I've known who I am, or was?"

Her Master raised his head slightly, green eyes squinting as he thought over her question.

"Who am I?" She added tentatively.

Dropping his gaze back to her, Rowane moved closer, resting at a spot just before the lightsabers, almost directly above the girl. Colette had to strain her neck to maintain eye contact.

"You are first and foremost a Jedi. You cannot forget that. You have undergone challenges that no one should ever face, especially one so young and untrained as yourself. Colette… you are strong, compassionate, resourceful… Even in a situation like now. You need to push your fears and confusion aside. I know how your life has pulled you away from your teachings at the temple, but you need to focus on your life as a Jedi, the code you learned all those years ago. Focus on the Force. They will guide you."

"Why haven't you shown yourself before?" Colette asked, slightly stirring with annoyance. "I've meditated… Force, I've _prayed_, but I've never gotten an answer before now."

"The will of the Force is… strong… and resistant. It prevented me from contacting you. However I have always been watching."

Rowane kneeled down so that their faces were level and the lightsabers' continued lazy circular rotation was the only thing between them. He passed a hazy and transparent hand underneath their path, drawing the girls attention.

"I know you've been upset by this." He continued. "That you've felt lonely and confused. And I'm sorry I haven't been able to show myself to you before now. But, child, did you ever stop to think it was the will of the Force to keep us apart? To keep you strong and passionate and focused as you grew on your own?"

Colette shook her head, not daring to let herself speak or even close her eyes, in fear he would vanish at any given moment. Rowane smiled gently at this, stretching out his hand carefully to hover over one of the girls'.

"Then I have strayed…" Colette mumbled plaintively while staring at the larger hand lingering just over her own. "I have formed attachments, I had just about given up on the Force…"

"This is a test, young one. You must not give up. It is never too late to find yourself."

Colette nodded and sniffled slightly as she tried to fight the emotions threatening to break out again. She had a feeling the conversation was coming to a close.

"Take these." Her master said, removing his hand from above hers -she suddenly missed the proximity- and waved at the circulating weapons. "Remember who you are. Where you came from. Go back to the Jedi. I will help however I can from where I am."

"Can you find Master Kenobi?" She asked quickly. "Direct him back to Knight Skywalker?"

Rowane nodded at her. "I can try." He said. "But I may not be able to show myself to you again. Now go, Colette. And may the Force be with you."

The great Jedi pulled away from the young girl, the latter of which panicked, instinctively reaching forward keep the connection open. Catching herself, she regretfully curled her hand back in her lap as he back away from her.

The figure disintegrated into the hazy mass that had first appeared to her, then, ever so slowly that the girl held her breath as she focused on the evanescent details of the swirling, spiraling patterns, started to dissipate.

The lightsabers dropped into open palms.

They both felt alien to her; one slim and small, the other too large and chunky. The cool metal felt relieving against her warm and clammy skin however, and she found herself pulling them close to her body. Slowly, her surroundings registered in the back of her mind, pushing her thoughts out of the way and directing her attention back to the situation, and location, at hand.

Unwillingly she stood. A small breeze swirled around her body, catching clothes and hair and directing her towards the ancient crash site.

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><p><strong>Ok, so I know it was a bit angsty, but I felt some of Colette's emotions needed to be straightened out. I hope to have the next part up soon, so please reply, tell me what you think, and we'll see what happens from there.<strong>

**Love, from Jay.**


	21. Chapter 21 In Contact

**Hey guys! So it hasn't been too long of a break between the last chapter and this. I've been wanting to work on writing for a while now, albeit slowly. The chapters will probably be coming up a couple times a month (probably only two or three), but as usual, no promises. Remember, your reviews/likes/follows keep me inspired. **

**Thank you for keeping up with me! It means a lot.**

**So here we go, back to Obi-wan for a small change. Leave your replies and tell me what you think! 3 Love from Jay.**

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><p>The pain had turned into a numbing sensation long ago. The bacta had worked wonders, and, with a full stomach, Obi-wan found he could move along at a fairly reasonable pace.<p>

There had been no further sign of the saber-cat, or, to a slight dismay, any keons. In fact, any sign of mobile wildlife had been slowly diminishing the past couple of miles. Screeching slowly gave way to silence, and rustling slowly turned into stillness. It was as if, in its own way, the forest was backing away from the jedi's presence, zoning in on his being and waiting to see what will happen from a respectable distance.

The Force rippled with a soft pulse, more so out of courtesy than of real concern, but the jedi had already made his move. As his foot pressed down into the dark brush, the rope sprung into action.

Luckily, the rope had wrapped around his _non_-injured leg; however he had found that luck short-lived as his body had hit the ground with an unceremonious (and embarrassing) '_thud_' and his vision had burred at the sudden impact.

Contents clanked loudly as the ruck sack hit the densely packed floor. A disconcerting '_thump_' followed shortly after, mockingly announcing that Obi-wan's lightsaber had just followed suit. Shaking his head to clear the pounding headache and blurred vision Obi-wan managed to look down -or rather up- at his feet currently at a higher altitude than his head, sigh in disbelief, and curse silently at the Force.

A breeze slipped through the forest then, dancing around his dangling body and shifting the leaves into a gentle mimic of laughter. As he spun slowly in a circle, hanging (quite uncomfortably) from his ankle, Obi-wan managed to reach out to let his fingertips brush against the hilt of his lightsaber.

"Are you okay there?"

Obi-wan's attention was diverted to the voice coming from directly behind him. When his body finally rotated enough for him to find the source, he was greeted with a hazy figure grinning down at him.

"Kib?"

"Hello, Obi-wan."

"How did-"

"I find you?" Rowane's smile grew wider. "The Force. And Colette. Though you were making such a ruckus on your own I doubt I needed them to guide me." Couching down onto one knee so that their faces were more level, Rowane continued. "What did that saber-cat ever do to you?"

Obi-wan's short-lived glare wasn't missed. Rowane's grin turned into a smirk, and with a flick of his wrist the concealed origin of the ropes undid themselves, and Obi-wan found his arms reaching out to deflect the approaching floor.

He turned a rather ungraceful fall into a graceful roll, eventually finding his footing and straightening to brush off his beyond-hope-of-saving robes. Rowane stood up as well, settling into a comfortable stance with his arms crossed over his chest as he continued to look down upon the slighter shorter man. Obi-wan peered back up at him with apprehensive eyes. When Rowane caught his gaze, the former looked away quickly, instead bending down to collect his sack and lightsaber. When he straightened again, he opened and closed his mouth multiple times.

"Is the Negotiator at a loss of words?" Rowane teased gently, quirking his mouth slightly.

Obi-wan smiled softly in return. "The opposite, actually." He said. "I have so much I want to say and ask about. I just don't know where to begin."

Rowane's smile deteriorated as he nodded and uncrossed his arms. "We have a lot to talk about." He acknowledged.

Obi-wan nodded. Rowane held out a large hand, a gesture for Obi-wan to lead the way. When he nodded again and turned around to continue en route, Rowane easily fell into step just behind him.

"I guess I'll just start at the beginning." Rowane sighed. "Maybe that'll be easier."

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><p>Colette leaned back on her hands.<p>

From her position on the floor, the young girl curiously watched the older jedi tinker with the electronics in the dashboard of the control room from his perch in the pilot's chair. Though she barely understood what he was trying to do (other than fix the broken comlink of course) she found his movements to be a distraction as she let her mind wander. The lightsabers hung snugly from the belt of her trousers, hidden just underneath her tunic. They felt like a tether to the material world, a reminder that her Master would always be with her and that _this was actually real_.

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi. On Serias. Separated, yes, but on Serias nonetheless.

She had heard stories of the famous jedi over the years. The people of the planet liked to talk, or rather gossip, and the war raging within the galaxy between man and machine was more than often a topic of discussion. And, however short an experience, Colette's Temple life had allowed her to pick up on the gossip spreading among the jedi too. The Chosen One, the one to set balance to the Force, had been found.

The whispers of "Anakin Skywalker" had all but missed her perception. She had never formally met him before, but she had instantly recognized the aura he radiated when she passed him in the hallway or archives. It was one consisting of true power. And emotion. And passion. All the things the jedi abhorred yet were nurturing in the young man.

So she found him intriguing. And that only further kindled the many questions she had.

Her eyes drifted from the figure in front of her to the helmet on the ground she had put down just a few hours earlier. Despite the protesting ache of her wrist, Colette stood up, moved over to the helmet, and stooped down to pick it up.

The visor was cracked and dusty, so unlike the condition she had been so used to seeing it in. The once pristine paint was faded and warped, leaving behind a disgusting mixture of pale blue and off-white colors that contrasted the black markings. The helmet rotated in the girl's hands as her dark eyes scrutinized over the further damage, each new found mark sending another wave of nostalgia through her.

"Your mind is wandering, little one."

Colette glanced up at the jedi currently watching her from behind loose strands of hair. He had paused in his ministrations of tearing out the wiring from the main panel.

"I'm sorry." Colette replied automatically. "Am I distracting you?"

Anakin's eyes zeroed in on the helmet. "No." He replied distantly. "Your thoughts are just… loud." He finished the sentence in a slow whisper, instead directing his attention at the helmet. He discarded the wiring and stepped toward Colette. "Whose is that?"

"It was Rocky's. Our Captain." She replied, grazing her thumb over the dark material that made up the visor.

"Can I see it?"

Colette glanced up at him, quirking a questioning eyebrow, then hesitantly handed it to Anakin's waiting hands.

"Some of the clones have made alterations to their armor." Anakin started, reaching his hand into the helmet and fiddling with the insides. "As a… uh, captain, I believe Rocky may have as well." The jedi's eyes scrunched just as the helmet gave '_snap_' beneath his probing fingertips. "Aha!"

He pulled out a, well Colette had no idea what it was, but whatever it was satisfied the older man. Anakin passed the helmet back to Colette and turned away from her to walk back toward the control station.

"A comm unit placed in the helmet. A primitive adjustment to make up for a simple overlooked design flaw, but, as one of the first dispatched clones, completely understandable. Now if I could just reset the frequency to what I need…"

As Anakin broke off into incoherent mutterings, Colette wrapped the helmet with her arms and pulled it closer to her body. She stepped forward. The technology in the jedi's hands beeped once as he began tinkering with its controls.

Static came through at first, but as Anakin's slowly set the frequency to match Obi-wan's a voice just barely broke through. Anakin froze. The voice was robotic -a droid's most likely-and barely comprehendible through the static.

"_-clear for landing at the cargo deck 27A. Go-_"

As static once more filled the room, the voice disappeared completely. Casting a quick glance at the young girl standing next to him, Anakin finished processing the comlink.

Giving one final beep, the comlink glowed a brilliant green, a signal for Anakin to begin his transmission at any given moment.

"Come in, Obi-wan. Master are you there?"

The reply was almost automatic, and, to both Colette and Anakin's amusement, completely startled.

"_Anakin, is that you_?"

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><p><strong>So I have finally addresses the fat elephant in the room and got these two lovely gentlemen in contact with each other. I know, I've tortured them for twenty or so chapters. But now the plot escalates and future chapters will have us dealing with the big bad seppies, Keetho and Colette's relationship, and the Slavers. <strong>

**Thanks again for sticking with my little story guys; I know I don't update to often. But remember, you can change that by reviewing/liking/following! **

**3 Love from Jay.**


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